


Superhero and Sassypants

by MapleMermaid



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-14 22:51:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7194128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MapleMermaid/pseuds/MapleMermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Geno is just trying his best to maintain a balance between working in his pet store and moonlighting at his other job when Sidney Crosby walks in to his shop.</p><p>Sid is lonely (not that he admits it) and Geno somehow finds himself offering to help Sid raise a puppy.</p><p>Considering Geno's epic crush? It's probably the worst idea he's ever had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Superhero and Sassypants

**Author's Note:**

  * For [umbrellacam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/umbrellacam/gifts).



> For Cammeh, who matched my likes and dislikes so thoroughly I think I squealed when I got them as a match. I hope I did your prompt justice.
> 
> Also for my beta, who turned this from a mushy mess of god-knows-what, to a legitimate fic. I am officially spoiled for any other beta ever.
> 
> Also also for a friend (you know who you are ;) ) who not only helped me hash this out but was the first to read this through and assure me it wasn't terrible.
> 
> Ask me things on tumblr! mermaple.tumblr.com

It starts because Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and hockey’s golden boy, is lonely.

Okay no. No, he’s not _lonely_ , he just wants a pet. He’s… bored. He’s not lonely.

(Sidney Crosby is very bad at lying.)

 

———————

 

Sidney Crosby steps into Metallurg Menagerie at 10:00 a.m. on an off day. Few would notice him flinch from the smells and sounds, unless they know him very well or have very good eyes.

Geno has very good eyes, but he’s not paying attention at the moment. Before the door hit his chimes with a loud clanging, he registered the change in the air; however, he’s in the middle of bandaging a puppy's foot, and she's _very_ squirmy. He figures, if it’s important enough, whoever it is will get his attention.

If it’s not important or they try to steal something, he’ll know anyway. So he ignores the door (successfully), and tries to ignore the puppy slobber (unsuccessfully).

The person walks up to the counter, and Geno waits for them to say something, but they’re silent for long enough Geno wonders if maybe they’re hard of hearing or mute. If that’s the case, he should probably turn around, but he’s _almost_ done. Hopefully, he can apologise well enough after. Failing that, use the puppy as an adorable distraction. Puppies are good for that.

Finally, he gets the bandage tightened, prays it won’t be chewed off anytime soon, and turns around, wiping at his face. At least he knows she’s not mad at him, though he would have preferred her affection in ways other than puppy breath and drool.

“Sorry, puppy needed bandage.”

“That’s fine, I’m not in any rush and bandages sound important. It’s okay, right?”

Not mute, then, or hard of hearing. Geno lowers his sleeve from his face and finally takes a look at the customer.

He’s grateful he has reflexes fast enough to not gape too obviously. By the time he’s processed his reaction and smoothed his expression, he’s fairly certain the man in front of him is unaware that he has basically _broken Geno’s brain_.

“No—I mean, yes! Will be fine so long as she doesn’t chew.” His voice comes out slightly higher than normal but with his usual level of exasperation. Puppies are adorable but _exhausting_ . He blames that for how star-struck he still sounds, because in front of him is _Sidney fucking Crosby_. “How can I help?”

Sidney Crosby’s cheeks go a bit pink and Geno is so fucked. “Well, I was wondering if you had recommendations for a pet? I mean, I’m not home often, but when I am, my house is kind of… I mean, it’s fine really. Just...”

Geno was unaware that Sidney Crosby could fumble. Or blush. He looks so focused in his interviews, so serious and unflappable. He looks nothing like the red-faced, stammering person in front of Geno’s counter. Then again, Geno has an idea of the difference between the person you are in front of a camera and the person you are in real life. It’s ridiculously endearing, unfortunately. Geno didn’t need another reason to think Sidney Crosby was the best person ever.

Geno’s distracted so it takes him a moment to notice the loud scrabbling behind him. Thankfully, he has quick enough reflexes to catch the puppy before she tumbles to the floor. Geno curses at himself; he should know better than to leave a puppy unattended for longer than a minute. He holds her in his arms and makes sure she’s okay.

From the slobbering, he’s pretty sure she forgives him. He hears an inhalation of breath and looks up, expecting Sidney Crosby to be laughing at him.

What he sees instead cracks open his heart.

Sidney Crosby is looking at the puppy like she’s his salvation. There’s such an abject longing on his face that Geno holds the puppy out before he even thinks about it. Sidney Crosby looks up at him as if he’s not sure what’s happening, then back to the puppy, then back to Geno. He hesitantly reaches out his hands. The sheer delight on his face when the puppy squirms into his arms and licks his face is the best thing Geno’s ever seen.

He’s so fucked. This was a terrible idea. Now Sidney Crosby is in his shop, holding a wriggly puppy, and _smiling_. “Well, hello there. What’s your name?” He looks up at Geno, who shrugs.

“Doesn’t have yet. New puppy. Found her today with bad foot.” At Sidney Crosby’s concerned face, he elaborates, “Is fine! Like I am saying. All bandaged, all better. Happy puppy. She likes you.” He tacks this on, because he apparently hates his life and needs to see Sidney Crosby look pleased.

Except Sidney Crosby doesn’t. He holds out the puppy, and Geno takes her, trying to determine why Sidney Crosby looks so disappointed. Geno sets the puppy on the floor and let’s her go explore. He’ll know if she gets up to anything.

Sidney Crosby watches her go with nothing but longing on his face. “A puppy is probably a bad idea. I’m not home a lot.”

Oh shit, right. He’s in here for a pet and not for Geno to flirt with. Though he's not sure he can call it flirting. The problem when you work with animals is you sort of forget how to talk normally to people. Then there’s his _other_ job, where he also doesn’t talk normally to people. _Then_ add in that his English is kind of terrible and Geno basically has the social skills of—well, similar to the puppy’s. He just kind of throws affection at people with wild abandonment.

Still, he can be professional. He thinks about the kind of pet a hockey player could take care of but still play with. “Dog is not terrible idea. Would need dogsitter but could work.”

Sidney Crosby’s face twists just slightly, and Geno wonders if he has another reason for not wanting a dog. A more personal reason. “I would feel bad.”

“Cat is good.” A slight spasm of his lips. “Don’t like cats?”

He shrugs. “I mean I’m not opposed.” He definitely doesn't sound enthusiastic, though.

“Not cat person,” Geno says and chuckles. Unfortunately, that leaves him in a tough position. “Fish?”

“I was sort of hoping—”

“Pet you can pet?” Sidney Crosby laughs, and Geno has to stamp down on the bright burble of happiness it causes in his chest. “Not many options, then. Birds, rats, guinea pigs, all same problem. Need sitter. Cat is best option, really.”

He feels _awful_. It’s not his fault that he can’t help. Not being home leaves little options for low maintenance pets. It’s the reason Geno doesn’t have any at home, though he probably could if he really wanted to. At least he has his shop and an assistant to take care of things when he’s gone. From the sounds of it, Sidney Crosby doesn’t have anything at home, and that hurts to think about. Geno knows quite a bit about loneliness and how unfair it can feel.

Sidney Crosby sighs, his shoulders slumping. “I figured this was a bad idea. I just hoped...”

“Not bad idea. Just hard.”

“Yeah, I guess I should go, then.” The puppy barrels around the corner and straight into Sidney Crosby’s legs, and his face crumples just a little. Nothing your average person would notice, but Geno isn’t exactly average.

He’s struck with what is either a great or terrible idea, he’s not sure which. He just can’t stand to see such sadness in anyone, let alone a man he’s admired for years.

“Mr. Crosby,” he says softly, and Sidney Crosby looks up at him slightly surprised. Maybe he thought Geno didn’t know who he was. Maybe Geno has a better poker face than he thought. “I'm here most days, my assistant others. If you want, you can leave puppy here and come visit? Whenever you want, anytime.”

Sidney Crosby’s face twists. “I couldn’t.”

He looks like he could. “Could use store pet. Teach tricks, take care of store, greet people.” Geno nods and continues talking over Sidney Crosby’s objections. If Geno can talk over him he must not be objecting very hard. “Is great idea! I live upstairs, so she’ll always be here. I get you key, you come visit whenever.”

“You’d give your store keys to a stranger?” Sidney Crosby asks, speaking slowly. He’s looking at Geno like he’s lost his mind, but Geno’s used to that expression on people. He’s also stopped trying to say no, Geno notes, pleased.

“Can’t trust world’s greatest hockey player, who can trust? Is more if you trust me.” It’s not like Geno’s not aware how strange this situation is, but he really wouldn’t mind a dog.

Sidney Crosby looks less like he thinks Geno is insane, and more—yes! Hopeful! That’s a good sign. “Weirdly enough… I do. Yeah. I mean if you don’t mind? Isn’t it strange to get a pet for someone else?”

Geno shrugs. “Dog’s for me too. You’re just… co-owner. So what you say, Mr. Crosby?” He holds out his hand expectantly.

Sidney Crosby reaches out and shakes it. His hand is warm and his grip is firm. His eyes, when he looks up at Geno, are very, very bright. His cheeks are pink again, and something warm twists in Geno’s gut.

“Sid is fine.”

The twisting tightens. Oh god, Geno is so very fucked. “I’m Geno.”

“Geno,” Sid says. His voice is filled with a warmth that weakens Geno’s knees. “Okay. Yeah. This is—yeah.” He hasn’t let go of Geno’s hand yet, and Geno doesn’t plan to tell him.

The puppy barks and the moment’s broken. Sid let’s go of Geno’s hand and shoves his own in his pocket. He’s uncomfortable, maybe? The puppy barks again and Geno leans down to pick her up. Then he pushes her at Sid until Sid has to hold her instead of seem awkward. He looks content with her in his arms. He doesn’t even pull away when she starts licking his face wildly, just grins as if it’s everything he’s ever wanted.

“New puppy needs name,” Geno says carefully.

Sid looks at him with wide eyes. “Oh no. I mean, she’s yours, right?”

Geno feels great satisfaction at Sid’s expression when he shakes his head. “She’s _ours_ , and I’m bad at names. Name her something Russian, you never pronounce.”

Sid laughs this fantastic honking laugh and Geno smiles helplessly. He tries not to think too hard about the expression on his face. It’s probably ridiculous.

“Well, if you’re sure.” Sid wiggles the puppy in front of him and lets her lick his nose. “What’s your name girl, hmm? Other than Trouble.”

He looks up at Geno and Geno shrugs. He really is terrible with names, he wasn’t lying. He’d probably call her _Sunshine_ or something equally ridiculous.

Sid sets her down and watches her run around and knock things over with abandon. He winces when she collides with a display, but Geno just laughs.

“Not first puppy in store,” he says. There’s a reason his tanks and cages are generally bolted down.

Sid smiles at him. “Lucy?” he asks. “First decent name that came to mind.”

Geno grins. “Should be glad not Iceburgh.”

Sid cracks up. “I mean, we _could_ —”

“No. No no no, Lucy is fine!” Geno has to grab the counter to brace himself as he laughs. “Shouldn’t have said!”

He and Sid stand there for a long while, just laughing. Soon, the puppy— _Lucy_ comes back to investigate, and they manage to calm down. Sid kneels in front of her and leans in to let her lick him, grinning madly.

Sid leaves not long after that. Apparently, he had only planned to stop by for a few minutes to talk options. Geno would feel bad about taking up his free time, but Sid seems incandescent in his happiness, so Geno can’t regret a moment. He promises Sid a spare key the next time he comes around, and tells him if he’s not there, his assistant (and Lucy) will be.

After Sid leaves, Geno falls against the door and presses a hand to his fluttering heart. Lucy runs into his legs and barks at him. He grins down at her and starts laughing helplessly. He’s so fucked and he can’t even begin to bring himself to care.

Oh man, but Gonch is going to be _pissed_.

 

———————

 

After Geno takes Lucy in, he manages to carve out almost two full weeks of freedom to get her set up. He likes to think he only has so many toys and treats because he runs a pet shop, but he knows that's a lie. Lucy is easy to spoil, mostly because she's so smart. By the end of the week, she's basically house-trained, and if Geno weren't so careful, she'd be chubby from all the treats. As it is, he makes sure to curb her rewards. He'd be a hypocrite if he told customers how to take good care of their pets while his own dog lazed around.

He thought Sid would be a good deterrent to spoiling Lucy, but he's almost as bad as Geno. He shows up the day after their first meeting with a determined look and a credit card.

“I own pet shop,” Geno argues.

Sid ignores him and waits until Geno rings up a ridiculous amount of toys and treats. “If she's mine, too, I get to spoil her. Besides,” Sid adds, grinning at him, “you already house her for free. The least I can do is assist.”

Geno is helpless in the wake of that smile and let's Sid swipe his credit card. “You want come upstairs?”

Sid nods so hard Geno worries for his brain. Geno has to bite his tongue to keep from giggling and leads Sid upstairs.

It should be awkward. It kind of is awkward, but it's hard not to relax when the door opens and Lucy bowls them over before they can even step inside. Sid immediately sits down in the hall, and in minutes, he's wrestling with her on the floor. She barks and Sid laughs and the whole place fills with noise. Geno's heart thumps wildly as his throat tightens with emotion. He has company so seldom, and he hasn't noticed how much he missed it until now.

“Come inside,” Geno says once Sid and Lucy are lying on the floor, panting in exhaustion.

Sid nods and sits up with a groan. “She's gonna be a handful,” he says. He's grinning so widely that Geno knows it's not a complaint.

Geno holds out his hand and hauls Sid up. Sid staggers but eventually settles, and it isn't until he looks up that Geno registers how close they’re standing. Sid's eyes are bright and almost gold in the light, and Geno could get lost in them.

He might already be lost.

There's a long silence where they both just look at each other. They're still holding hands but neither of them move.

Lucy barks loudly, and they jump apart. Geno can't bring himself to look at Sid as he leads him inside. Instead, he heads to the kitchen. Sid refuses tea but takes a glass of water, and he sits on Geno's couch as another stifling pause settles over them.

“Ah,” Geno says, trying to find words. “Should have been here last night, barked all night.”

“Oh geez. Did you sleep at all?” Sid asks.

Finally, Geno looks over. Sid seems legitimately concerned, and it warms Geno's heart. He smiles softly. “Little bit, is fine.”

Yet another pause, and okay, Geno is going to have to make talking points if this keeps happening. He hasn't felt this wrong-footed since his last date.

“So, what did you do today?” Sid asks.

Geno leaps on that question like the lifesaver it is. “Shop mostly. Had a woman with lizard, big lizard, come in. Iguana?” Sid doesn't look confused, so he continues. “Named Izzy. Likes to grab.”

He babbles about work for long enough that he worries he's being boring. Famous hockey players have to have something better to do with their time than listen to a pet shop owner talk about lizards, right? Especially in terrible English. Sid seems perfectly content where he is, though. He asks questions like he's interested, and Geno is so unused to company that he can't bring himself to stop talking. He wants Sid to stay. He wants Sid to enjoy his company.

He wants Sid to like him.

He's so screwed, he thinks, as Sid sits on his couch with their dog in his lap and smiles like there's nowhere else he'd rather be.

 

———————

 

“Sit. No, sit. Sit, Lucy. _Sit_.”

Geno snorts helplessly and Sid glares up at him.

“You're no help,” Sid mutters. He presses at Lucy's butt. It stays down for a half second before bobbing back up, tail wagging vigorously.

“Patience,” Geno says.

Sid sighs. “I guess. She's almost house-trained, though. I would've thought this would be easy.” Sid gives up and comes over to sit on the couch. Geno moves his feet for him and tries ignores the fluttering in his heart when Sid smiles at him.

“House-train means no mess or smells. Sit means nothing.” That's the theory Geno is going with, anyway. He honestly has no idea.

Really he's not surprised it's taking a while. As smart as Lucy is, she's still very young. He hadn't expected her to pick up anything in the first week. He's grateful that house-training was what she decided to focus on.

It probably helps that Geno has been around to keep her on a schedule. The shop already has a dog door that leads to the fenced-off backyard. So if he keeps her downstairs he doesn't have to worry too much. The sooner she's fully trained, the sooner Geno can keep her upstairs without having to worry about his floors. Maybe he should install a ramp on his bedroom balcony. That’s an idea for later, though.

“Sit means a treat once she does it,” Sid says, frowning. Geno tries not to giggle. Sid can be so surly and it's surprisingly endearing.

“How she know?” He ignores Sid's grumbling to turn on the TV. Avoiding Sid's grabbing hands, he changes the channel to the news. It hasn't taken Geno long to realize that the television Sid will willingly watch boils down to a) the History Channel (because Sid is a nerd), b) really old shows (like black-and-white old), and c) the news (any news, just news). Getting Sid to watch anything else involves bribery.

Geno doesn't mind the news for the most part. At least, not as much as he enjoys Sid's company. He turns the volume up just a little, just for Sid, before handing Sid the remote and relaxing back into the couch cushions. Lucy crawls between the two of them on the couch, woofing softly, and his contentedness is complete. Geno’s missing his own shows, but the noise that fills his house, and his heart, is worth it. Geno would do a lot more than just miss his shows if it kept Sid smiling at him.

(Even if it meant figuring out the DVR.)

 

———————

 

“How is her paw, by the way?”

“Let me work in peace. We find out,” Geno says. When he looks up, Sid’s expression is rather sheepish.

“Sorry, just she's our dog, y'know? I want her to be healthy and happy.”

Geno carefully unwinds the bandage rather than admit how good that makes him feel. _Our_ dog. He shakes his head and carefully holds Lucy tighter. He tells himself not to be stupid. Reading too much into this is a bad idea.

Still, he can't deny he's completely satisfied as he gets the last of the bandage off and sees nothing but healthy pink skin. He gently presses at the pads of Lucy's feet and when there's not even a whimper, he grins. “Healthy,” he says, looking up at Sid who's starting to grin. “And of course happy. She's best dog. Has best life.”

“Best owners,” Sid says softly.

Geno feels his cheeks burn, and he distracts himself by setting Lucy on the floor. “Da,” he murmurs, watching his and Sid's dog run around the shop, bandage-free and content. “Best.”

Thankfully, any possible awkward silence that might have come from that is broken by Lucy coming up and dropping her ball on Geno's foot.

He picks it up, slobber and all, and turns to Sid. “Fetch?”

Sid's grin is the only answer he needs.

 

———————

 

Geno manages two full glorious weeks before he's found out. Honestly, he's impressed he managed that long. He figured that someone—Gonch—would have found out by now. So he’s not surprised the end of the secrecy is due to someone—Gonch—being a nosy old man.

Though technically his assistant, Gonch is really more Geno's pseudo-father. With Geno’s own family still in Russia, he's grateful he has someone to speak Russian to—and his laziness is grateful for his wife's cooking.

He's not grateful for the snooping, but that's what friends are for. Probably. Either way, it means that Geno's not entirely surprised by the knock on his door. Sid has a game tonight, so it can’t be him. It leaves one other suspect.

It’s just unfortunate that the knock is followed by Lucy's bark. There's a long silence from beyond the door before—“Zhenya? What the fuck?”

Shit. He shushes Lucy and calls out, “I'm watching a dog show!”

“Zhenya, I'm coming in.” Fuck, he sounds angry.

Geno tries to herd Lucy into his room, but she barks as if it's a game and dodges him. She barks again, and Geno curses. He never thought to try and train her out if the habit. He regrets it now. “Dog show! It's just a dog show!”

“Bullshit.” There's a jangle of keys, the door opens, and Gonch walks in. He freezes in the doorway. Geno watches him take in the toys and the dog bed and finally, Lucy.

“It's not what it looks like,” Geno says. Gonch turns to him, eye twitching, and Geno despairs.

He's so fucked.

 

———————

 

“So not only did you get a dog without telling me, but you want me to watch over her, as well as the shop, whenever you vanish?”

Geno winces and nods. Gonch definitely doesn’t look pleased, but Geno can’t think of a different way this could have gone. Sid’s disappointment was more than any man should have to bear.

“I have kids, you know, and a wife. I have other things I could be doing. You and your Sidney Crosby obsession will be the death of me. Also, _Sidney Crosby_ ? Really?” Gonch glares at him, and Geno winces again. “...So help me if you don’t tap that, I will _end_ you.”

Ignoring Geno’s sputtering, Gonch turns back to Lucy and presses down on her butt, telling her to sit. He has about as much luck as Sid and Geno. Lucy is proving to be surprisingly intelligent and surprisingly _stubborn_.

 _Sid_. Geno tries not to sigh ridiculously. It’s only been two weeks, but Sid’s been coming by most mornings and some evenings when he’s in town. Geno’s trying not to read into it too much.

“It’s not like that,” he says. Gonch raises an eyebrow and Geno rolls his eyes. “It’s not.”

Gonch turns back to Lucy, and presses on her butt again. She stays down for a full five seconds, before flopping over to roll on her back, begging for belly rubs.

“Don’t be as dumb as your owner, kid,” Gonch tells her. “Find yourself a nice mate, get some nice pups, and live a long, happy life while your owner wastes away in unrequited love.”

“She's fixed you know.” Geno's not opposed to more puppies, but one dog is effort enough. Sid agreed. Further proof that they're perfectly matched dog owners. Geno tries not to think that too often, just in case someday he says it out loud on accident. Gonch has enough to mock him over as it is.

“My point still stands. You're a sad sack. Wait, is this why you haven’t needed me lately?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Geno grumbles. “And no. It’s just been quiet. _Weirdly_ quiet. Maybe everyone is busy?”

“You know it’s when it’s not busy that I worry the most,” Gonch says, and Geno nods in agreement. Two weeks of freedom is basically unheard of. He’s not sure what’s going on.

As if invoked, his cell phone buzzes. As a pair, Geno and Gonch both turn to look at the kitchen table, then at each other. “We jinxed it,” Geno groans.

Gonch sighs. “I got your fucking dog. Go on and answer it. Maybe it won’t be a big order.”

“I don’t have that much faith in luck,” Geno says and goes to the phone. He tries not to pout as he takes the call.

“It’s more hope than luck really,” Gonch points out after Geno has hung up.

Instead of trying to argue, Geno walks past Gonch to his room to change. Maybe Gonch can open up shop early rather than going around jinxing his boss. Geno shouts as much as he goes, and Gonch just laughs at him.

Geno needs new friends.

 

———————

 

Despite Gonch’s complaints, he really is helpful in looking after Lucy whenever Geno isn’t around. Geno hadn’t realized how worried he was about the whole situation until Gonch is there to help. He knew that Lucy would be getting bigger, he just hadn’t expected her to get big so fast. (Or to love shoes so much. Geno would be barefoot if not for Gonch running errands for him. They’re training her out of that. Just… slowly.)

“Of course, I’m helping. Just because I think you’re an idiot doesn’t mean I’d just abandon you.” Gonch swats at Geno’s head and Geno yelps, unable to dodge in time. “You fucking moron.”

He says it with love, is the thing. Only love would have Gonch sticking around through the first couple months of puppy-rearing. Apparently, Lucy is worse than his two daughters put together. (Also, Lucy and his two daughters are all smarter than Geno, but Geno feels that’s just an unfair statement.)

“Your boyfriend was here earlier by the way,” Gonch says. “He left a _note_.”

Geno ignores Gonch’s pointed tone to look at his desk. It's always disappointing when he misses a visit from Sid, but Sid has started leaving notes on those days. Geno doesn’t plan to admit to anyone—Gonch or Sid or whoever asks—that he's saved them all. He tucks them in whatever romance novel he’s reading that week, mostly because Gonch thinks they’re trashy. This means Gonch won’t go snooping, which means he won’t have something else to tease Geno about.

In honesty, Geno’s pretty certain Gonch knows he’s saving them and just isn’t commenting on it. Gonch thinks he’s ridiculous on a regular basis, and it’s not like Geno’s crush on Sid is news.

He walks over to his desk, and sure enough, he finds Sid’s messy scrawl across a notepad. _Sorry I missed you. Hope you had a good delivery. Lucy is still refusing to learn sit. Probably doesn’t help she has to learn it in two languages. I’ll see you next time, I hope! - Sid_.

Despite Geno’s refusal to agree that Lucy is hard to train due to multiple languages (she’s too smart otherwise for that to be the reason), Sid insists it would be easier if they stuck to one. Unfortunately, Sid’s Russian pronunciation is godawful (it shouldn’t be endearing and yet…), and Geno keeps forgetting to use English. Besides, it’s always really amusing to watch Sid try to stumble over the Russian phrases.

He and Sid have struck up a rather fantastic friendship throughout all this. It’s a good thing, considering they’re raising a puppy together. Sid said his friends had teased him relentlessly for weeks about the whole situation, and they only recently calmed down about it. Apparently, it’s not the strangest thing Sid has ever done (Sid mentioned yellow Crocs and his jock strap? Geno knew just enough to not inquire further), and it’s definitely not the strangest thing Geno has ever done. They’re both aware it’s not a normal situation.

This whole thing—raising Lucy, becoming friends—feels like a moment they got caught up in, something that felt right. It wasn’t until later that they both realized they had probably lost their minds. Gonch tells Geno this is what happens when lonely people make decisions. Geno’s not entirely sure of the truth of that. Regardless, raising Lucy together is working. That’s the part he keeps getting caught on: this is _working_. That’s probably the strangest thing, but Geno isn’t going to complain.

It’s just the whole thing is a bad idea considering Geno’s ridiculous crush. It was hard enough when Geno was in love with Sid’s hockey and in great admiration of his face (and his ass). Now Geno is trying to come to terms with falling in love with the rest of him.

It’s hard, especially considering Geno is having a hard time with the desire to admit to Sid that he’s—

“Geno, your phone.” Gonch’s voice is sharp, and Geno feels his shoulders immediately tighten at the tone. His ears perk up and he looks over, and sure enough, his cell phone is buzzing madly on the coffee table. He sighs and tucks Sid’s note away in his drawer.

“What can it be now?” he asks.

Gonch shrugs. “No idea. Maybe that’s why you should answer it. Doesn't do to keep the mayor waiting!”

“Fuck you,” Geno says cheerfully, and Gonch flips him off. Geno answers the phone, responds affirmatively, and hangs up, sighing. Gonch hands him his bag, and he goes to change, complaining the whole way. “But I already saved the world today!”

 

———————

 

So the reason Geno misses Sid a lot? It has to do with his other job.

His other, more _interesting_ job.

With one last punch, the supervillain of the day (or second supervillain of the day, and seriously, what the hell? There shouldn’t be more than one per day) goes down, cursing Geno’s name. Or his other name anyway.

 _Metaman_ . He has it all: superstrength, supervision, superhearing, superhealing, and superflying—okay, just regular flying but still, he can _fly_ . He’s Pittsburgh’s personal superhero. At least, now he is. There was some objection from Russia when he left (okay, a _lot_ of objection and a lot of fighting and a lot of—) and some objection from Pittsburgh about divided loyalties, but so far it’s gone better than Geno expected. He still goes back to Russia every once in a while to help and to see his family, but Pittsburgh is Geno’s city now, and he hopes to keep it that way.

He’d have an easier time keeping it that way if there weren’t the supervillains, but that’s life. Besides, Geno’s certain he would get bored otherwise. He loves his shop, but there’s something satisfying in just beating the crap out of someone who genuinely deserves it. Even if it means wearing tights on a semi-regular basis.

Geno hates the tights, but they’re stretchy and giving, and needs must. Plus, as much as he hates them, Gonch hates them worse as he ends up mending them more often than not, and seeing Gonch thread a tiny needle with his giant hands will never not be hilarious. His wife Ksenia also gets a kick out of it.

Geno loves Ksenia and her kids simple because they don’t hate Geno for taking up so much of Gonch’s free time. So he tries to keep them happy in any way he can, which means tights and mending. Geno, Ksenia, and the girls like to have tea while Gonch mends, and giggle as he curses.

It does mean Geno gets to hear endless chirping from Gonch about how he looks like an Aquaman knock-off, what with his tight pants and gold top. Geno, however, argues that his pants are black and not green, so it makes him more like Green Lantern than anything.

Honestly, he just wishes he had gone with a costume that didn’t involve ridiculous gymnastics to get into and peel out of. This is why you don’t let a seventeen-year-old choose their own uniform. While giant gloves and tights work, he sometimes wonders if he looks as ridiculous as he thinks he does. He’s certain the mask on his face doesn’t help.

Still, Pittsburgh likes the tights, judging by how many articles about Geno’s ass are on the Internet. Almost as many as Sid’s. It would be hilarious if Geno could tell Sid about it.

He’s still trying to decide on that one.

Sid is… Sid is amazing. He’s a great friend if a bit stubborn and superstitious. (Geno doesn’t get black cats in anymore, because that week without Sid was _awful_ ). He’s funny and helps Geno play terrible pranks on Gonch. He’s the best hockey player in the world.

And Geno is stupidly, blindingly, in love with him.

Gonch despairs of him. Gonch also thinks he should tell Sid—the love thing and _maybe,_ if he's careful, the superhero thing, too, but neither of those are happening _ever_.

Then again, Gonch is a terrifying force of nature sometimes, and Geno is mostly considering telling Sid soon to stave off Gonch doing it first. It should come from Geno. It should come before something happens, and Sid finds out any of it in the wrong way.

It’s just that there’s a problem with telling Sid. And it’s sort of… Sid.

 

———————

 

“Did you see him yesterday? Two supervillains in one day, and both just—wham!” Sid punches his hand. “Done. Down and out. Like, two in one day! It’s amazing. He’s _amazing_. We’re so lucky to have him, you know? He’s just… amazing.” Sid trails off and sighs happily.

Geno despairs. How is he supposed to tell Sid that he’s Metaman when anytime he brings Metaman up, Sid just _gushes_? How would Sid react, knowing that his private, trusted conversations, are being betrayed this way?

Geno opens his mouth, closes it again, opens it. “Is his job. Help city.”

“Well, no. Not really? I mean, he doesn’t have to do what he does. He could be a supervillain—”

“Could not!” Geno squawks. The idea of it, honestly. Geno could no more be a supervillain than Lucy could stop slobbering.

“Exactly,” Sid says and looks at Geno pointedly. “That’s the thing, though, right? He’s not. He helps the city, and he doesn’t have to. He’s just so _good_.”

Geno flushes, though Sid doesn’t seem to notice, just continues going on about how amazing Metaman is. It’s probably pathetic how much Geno appreciates Sid’s commentary.

He sometimes wonders if it wouldn’t be easier to pass the torch. Retire and settle and leave the fighting for someone else. There’s other up-and-coming heroes that could do it. A kid named Sunshine (and didn’t Geno laugh himself silly thinking of Lucy) is doing well in the back alleys. He could stand to be in the limelight a bit more. Geno’s not done yet, though. He still has fight in him. Right now anyway. After yesterday, he’s been thinking again.

He’s just… tired. He’s sure it will pass, but he’s tired.

A hand on his knee distracts him.

“Hey, you okay?” He realises his eyes have closed, and he opens them to Sid’s concerned face. “You look like you could use a nap. Yesterday’s deliveries wore you out, huh?”

Geno winces. “Could say that. More than usual.”

Sid nods and whistles softly. Lucy comes barreling over, and Sid picks her up (it takes a minute since she’s so _big_ now) and sets her in Geno’s lap. He smiles softly and pets her head as Sid’s strokes down her back. Occasionally, their fingers brush, and Geno’s skin feels like it’s humming.

He’s so fucked. “Sid,” he says. Sid looks up from Lucy, and his eyes are so very, very bright. He licks his lips, and Geno tracks the movement briefly, distracted. By the time he looks back, Sid’s cheeks are pink and Geno’s breath catches. “I...”

Lucy leaps from Geno’s lap and they both jump, startled. Geno feels strangely dizzy, and he wonders if maybe they were about to—

Dammit, he was trying to tell Sid he’s—

“I should go,” Sid says, and Geno opens his mouth to protest, but Sid shakes his head. “You really do look tired. You should sleep.”

 _Come with me_ , Geno thinks but bites his tongue. He shouldn’t do anything until he’s fully honest with Sid. It’s not fair to bring up his feelings, then have Sid realize Geno puts his life in danger on a regular basis. Sure, he’s a superhero, but he’s not _entirely_ invulnerable. That’s if Sid is even amenable to being with him, or men. Geno suspects, with how much Sid gushes about Metaman, he has to be at least curious, but that’s not much to go on.

That moment, though. That was something to go on. If not for Lucy… Still, that’s what dogs do, keep you from doing stupid shit. Or make you do stupid shit. Or clean up their—dogs, basically, are great.

Okay, maybe Geno does need a nap, but still. “Don’t have to leave,” he says.

Sid shakes his head again. “Game tomorrow. I should go anyway.” He stands up, and Geno follows him to the door. Sid says goodbye to Lucy, is given his nightly allotment of dog drool to the face, and smiles at Geno. “Goodnight, Geno.”

His voice is soft and sweet, and Geno has to stop himself from leaning in. “Goodnight, Sid,” he says and watches Sid’s Adam’s apple bob as Sid swallows.

They stand in the doorway for a long time, until Geno can’t stop a yawn and Sid apologises. “I’ll see you… um, maybe not tomorrow but the day after?”

Geno nods. “See you then.”

There’s another long pause that’s only broken when Lucy barks, and finally Sid leaves. With a heavy heart, Geno watches him go. He really needs to tell Sid.

Maybe next time they meet.

 

———————

 

“Okay, so I have something to show you, and then you need to admit I'm right and you're wrong.”

Geno raises one eyebrow and doesn't say a word in response.

Sid glares at him. “I'm serious. Just watch. Lucy!” he calls. “Here, girl!”

Lucy comes quickly. The second she's in front of Sid, she's on her back, begging for belly rubs, and Geno snorts.

“Show me dog?” he asks. There's a more serious conversation they could be having, but Sid had been insistent that this was important, and Geno can't deny him anything.

Sid shushes him. “Watch. Now, Lucy, lay down.”

Geno's about to snort again. If Lucy can't learn sit, he doesn't think—

She lays down, and Geno drops his jaw in shock.

“Now, roll over,” Sid says, and she does that too.

Geno watches with wide eyes as Sid goes through a handful of commands, and Lucy follows each one. By the end of it, Geno is starting to wonder if he's vividly hallucinating.

Sid turns to him, grinning madly. “ _Now_ do you believe that it's the English and Russian confusing her?” Sid asks. “We need to be consistent. At least at first. Let her figure out what the command is before trying new languages. I asked Gonch to start trying some of the tricks she knows now to start, but I can't pronounce them.”

“You ask Gonch before me?” Geno asks. He feels a bit hurt, to be honest. Okay, maybe he was being stubborn on the training, but he didn't think he was being so bad that Sid thought he couldn't talk to him.

Sid's eyes go wide. “I didn't mean it that way. I swear, I didn't. Geno.” Sid reaches out and grabs his arm. “I just wanted to show you… I thought if I could teach her just one thing, I'd have proof, but then she learned so fast. I meant to show you sooner, but we've been so busy…”

Geno bites back a sigh and nods. “I understand.”

They really have been busy. If it's not Sid's hockey or practice, it's Geno's work or “deliveries”. Having responsibilities sucks, and he's no closer to admitting his secret identity than he was before. He's been interrupted no less than five times this week. Though. if he's being fair, he's not trying that hard. He's still worried about Sid's reaction.

“I'm sorry,” Sid says. “I just wanted to help. I mean, you look after her all the time, and I'm not around a lot. So when she listened to me, I thought there was actually something I was doing right.” His hand slides down Geno's arm before letting go, and Geno forces himself to not grab it back. He stares at Sid as he processes what was said.

“You… you do everything right. You visit. You train. You train better than me,” Geno says, gesturing to Lucy.

“Hey, you house-trained her,” Sid says. “I just taught her tricks.”

“Tricks useful and fun.”

Sid snorts. “Are we really arguing over who's the better dad here?”

Something trips in Geno's heart, and he tries to ignore it. “Guess so,” he murmurs. Sid looks up at him, and his cheeks are pink as he reaches out and grabs Geno's hand.

Oh. Oh, well, then.

They stand there for a long moment before Lucy nudges in between them looking for pets. Sid giggles, and Geno has to as well. He's not surprised that, yet again, his ridiculous dog is reminding them of the obvious priorities. There is a dog here, and she is not being petted, so there must be a problem. Geno tries not to blush vividly when Sid continues holding his hand and pets Lucy with his free one instead.

“You try. Something in English,” Sid says softly and squeezes his fingers.

“Lucy,” Geno says just as quietly. He takes a gamble. “Sit.” Her head still in prime petting position, Lucy lowers her butt to the floor. She looks like she's grinning. Maybe she is. Geno and Sid definitely are.

It's only with a little reluctance that Geno let's Sid have his hand back.

“I have to go. Practice,” Sid says. He almost seems regretful, which is unheard of when it comes to Sid and hockey.

Geno nods, and it's only with great willpower that he doesn't walk Sid to the door. He waves instead and keeps petting Lucy.

The door shuts behind Sid with a soft click, and Geno sighs. He didn't manage to admit anything this visit, but he's rather unconcerned about it. It was a good visit, and Lucy is more important than his failed attempts at a love life.

Plus, Sid held his hand. Things could be worse.

“Good dog,” he murmurs.

Lucy just barks.

 

———————

 

In fairness, Geno had grand intentions to tell Sid he’s Metaman the next evening. He even texted Sid and planned dinner. _Nice_ dinner. (Steak, because serious conversations should include good food, and beer. Geno considered wine, but thought that might be too obvious. He doesn’t want to try date options until he’s told Sid the truth.)

A lot of things in Geno’s life end up in the category of “grand intentions, failed execution.”

Not that it’s his fault the Philadelphia Fucker decided to attack. Okay, his actual name is Fighter, but Geno likes to have fun. “Enjoying yourself Fathead?”

“I KNOW YOU KNOW MY NAME!” Fighter screeches.

“I know your name is Failure,” Geno says and shrugs, the movement jostling Fighter. It’s probably alarming, since Geno’s hand on his ankle is the only thing between him and a twelve story drop and Fighter doesn’t fly. It’s a bit ironic considering his city’s hockey team (and he turns a fantastic shade of purple whenever Geno mentions that).

It’s been an interesting day so far. Fighter is the third attack today. The sixth this week. Geno’s honestly starting to wonder if everyone is just bored or something. He wouldn’t mind if not for the fact that he has other plans.

“I’d ask if you need a hand, but you look alright to me.”

Geno turns and grins. “Sunshine! Actually could use help. I have dinner tonight. Need to get home.”

Sunshine grins at him, the white of his teeth almost as white as his outfit. (Geno asked how he kept it clean once, and Sunshine went on a ramble about something-something-magic, and Geno sort of lost track after that.) “Hot date?”

Geno shakes his head. “Friend.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Sunshine points out, but he wraps a golden light around Fighter all the same. “But I can tidy up for you.”

“Thanks! Be careful, Frogface is squirmy.”

“I KNOW YOU KNOW MY NAME!”

As Geno flies off, he tries not to laugh too loud when he hears Sunshine say, “Of course we know your name is Flamingo!”

 

———————

 

Despite Sunshine’s help, Geno still winds up being late. Not _late_ late, thankfully, but late enough that his plans to make dinner are unlikely.

Especially when he gets back to his shop and realises Sid is already there. Geno’s heart leaps into his throat as he walks in (already changed because he’s not going to walk into his shop in his uniform) and sees Sid playing with Lucy.

He jerks to look at the clock, and he breathes out harshly in relief. “You early,” he says, and Sid smiles at him.

“Gonch called and said you might be late. So I came over to start on dinner.”

It’s then Geno realizes that yes, he smells food, and that knowledge, coupled with the long day he’s had, nearly brings him to tears. “You...” He swallows thickly. Sid made him _dinner_. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to, and I had the time,” Sid says. He gets up and walks over to Geno, Lucy following behind him. He reaches out and tugs Geno’s jacket from his shoulders. Geno let’s him, feeling the sore pull of his muscles as he stretches. He’s just so _tired_.

Sid herds him upstairs. His whole place smells amazing, and he feels like he should help, but Sid waves him back down as he brings the dishes and a couple beers over. (He’s grateful now that he forewent the wine. You can’t press a wine bottle to sore muscles.)

The TV is already on and playing something black-and-white that looks vaguely familiar. He knows it’s something Sid’s watched before, but he can’t remember what it is in the split second before Sid flips it to the news. The familiarity has Geno relaxing more than anything else.

“Everything went well, though? Gonch said there were more deliveries than expected.”

Geno winces and takes a long drag of his beer. “Yeah. Was fine. Just tired.”

“Well, we’ll eat, and then you can go to bed. You look like you could use it.” Sid looks so _earnest_ is the problem. He’s so kind, and so nice, and Geno is—

Geno is _lying to him_. It strikes him in a particularly violent way. Sid thought he was busy working hard. Sid came to make him dinner, even though Geno was the one that offered. Sid is getting Geno another beer without Geno even having to ask. Sid is doing all of this for him, and Geno is lying to him.

Sid comes back, and as he hands him the beer, Geno catches his hand. Sid looks down at him, eyes wide and glimmering, and Geno’s mouth goes dry.

“Sid,” he murmurs, “thank you.”

He watches Sid breathe in slowly. “You’re welcome,” he says, voice soft.

Fuck. “Sid.”

“ _And in other news, Pittsburgh’s own superhero has outdone himself today! Stopping not one, not two, but three villains from dastardly deeds._

 _“Not that one could really call the Philadelphia Fighter a true villain, but it’s definitely an impressive accomplishment._ ”

Geno watches Sid’s head snap to the TV, as his eyes light up, and he sighs. This is really the only problem he has with the news as background noise. The second any mention of Metaman comes up, Sid is lost to any future conversation. It would be adorable if it didn’t end in Geno feeling swamped with guilt.

“Sid, I need to tell you—”

“Geno, look! Isn’t he _amazing_?” Sid is staring at the TV where Metaman dangles Fighter by his ankles, quipping witty nicknames, and looking generally fantastic. He turns back to Geno with bright eyes. “Seriously, three villains in one day and two a couple days ago! The amount of energy that must take. I wonder if it’s like the Playoffs? Do you think he maybe doesn’t notice how tired he is until he’s done? That’s how Playoffs feel to me.”

It’s exactly how it feels actually, and Geno would like to tell Sid that. “Sid.”

“Three villains in one day, including that jerk from Philly.” Geno snorts helplessly, and Sid shrugs, unapologetic.

“Fuck the Flyers,” Geno says, and Sid echoes it. They fist-bump, grinning at each other.

“It’s nice, though. I mean...” Sid’s voice goes oddly quiet. “With all the name calling and stuff. That’s he’s never used—sorry, it’s a weird thing to say. Never mind.”

“Sid?” Sid does this sometimes, goes strangely squirrelly, like he thinks what he says is going to be judged. Then again, he’s used to media and the like, so Geno can’t blame him for his caution. He thought he managed to break Sid of the habit around him. Still, he doesn’t mind reminding Sid again. “You can trust.”

“I know,” Sid says, voice still strange. He looks at Geno with a strange expression that twists Geno’s gut. “I know I can. It’s just—well, I mean—he always uses words beginning in F, right? I’m just glad he’s never used…” He turns away, his hands fidgeting.

Geno reaches out and grabs them, threads their fingers together, and holds on. His heart is beating wildly. This feels important. “Sid.”

“Fag,” Sid says quietly, and Geno flinches. He grips Sid’s hands harder, and Sid’s nails dig into his skin. It feels like the air has been sucked out of the room, and Geno is violently dizzy.

He needs to say something. He _needs_ to. “He wouldn’t,” Geno says firmly. Sid finally looks up at him, and his eyes go wide. He wonders if Sid understands what he’s saying, what he means. “He wouldn’t.”

“I… Geno, you...” Is he leaning closer? He is. He’s leaning closer, and Geno is helpless but to follow. Let this be the moment, he thinks. Let him just have this and he can—

There’s a knocking at his door and Lucy barks and they both spring apart. Geno watches Sid’s cheeks go bright red as Geno starts cursing vividly in Russian. He almost thinks to ignore the knocking, but then he hears the voice on the other side.

“Zhenya!” It’s Gonch. Goddammit. “Zhenya, emergency delivery. Like, some serious shit kind of emergency. You’re needed.” Even in Russian, Gonch is careful with what he says. _The walls have ears_ , he says. Geno thinks he’s paranoid but whatever.

In that moment, Geno almost thinks, _fuck it_ , but no, he can’t. He made a promise to the city. He made a promise to the people. He looks to Sid in desperation, apologies forming, but Sid is smiling at him, and all the words vanish. “Have to go?”

“Sid—”

Sid shakes his head. “It’s okay, emergencies crop up. I’ve bailed on you enough times in the past.”

He has. Hockey is exhausting, and sometimes Sid just crashes without even texting, but that’s not the point. “I know, but—”

Gonch hammers on the door. “Zhenya!”

“I’m coming!” Geno shouts in Russian. “You’re sure?” he asks Sid.

Sid nods. “I’ll tidy up and put Lucy out.”

“Sid _best_.” He watches Sid go slightly pink. He can’t help himself. He leans in and kisses Sid’s cheek before running for the door.

He grins ridiculously at the soft pleased “oh” he hears as he goes.

 

———————

 

It comes to a head the following week.

After villain the ninth came around, Geno started relying on Sunshine regularly for help. There is just too much work otherwise. It works out well, because along with Sunshine comes some of Sunshine’s friends, and Geno actually manages to carve out some free time.

Together, Geno and Sunshine discover that there was a mass breakout at one of the supervillain prisons, which explains the increase of attacks. (It also likely explains that abnormal two weeks off and he's never trusting a day off again.) With the group of heroes working together, they manage to bottle everyone back up and even receive an accolade from the city.

Geno also gets an invitation to Sid’s game at the end of the week, which considering he last left Sid having kissed him, sounds very positive. So all in all, Geno feels completely validated in telling Sunshine he’s walking on him. The best part is, Geno has to start singing the song for Sunshine to get it. (He looks so betrayed after.)

To be honest, Geno should have expected it to go all to shit.

It’s not that it’s unsalvageable. It is. It’s completely salvageable. It’s just _really fucking annoying_. And it’s all the fault of Philadelphia. Okay, one Philadelphian in particular. It’s also partly Geno’s fault, but how was he supposed to know it would end this way?

“Your city sucks anyway. What does Pittsburgh got that Philly doesn’t?”

“A perfect hockey team?” Geno says, on instinct.

Fighter snorts. “Crosby sucks.”

“Fuck you, Fleabite, Crosby’s _best_. He’s the best player in the world.”

“Cindy crybaby!”

Honestly, he should be grateful Geno only drops him ten feet and not the whole ten stories.

“Fuck the Flyers,” Geno says as Fighter is taken away. “Sidney Crosby is _perfect_.”

So really, he gets himself into this.

The reporters pick it up as they are want to do, and Geno finds himself being rewarded with a box ticket to the game at the end of week. It’s the same game Sid invited him to.

Metaman… can’t exactly refuse. Though he does ask for a ticket in the stands instead. Boxes are too big for one person, and he can’t exactly invite Gonch and the girls along.

So he texts Sid, citing an emergency but begs for dinner the next night, and he nearly collapses in relief when Sid says yes. It’s only after he gets to CONSOL that he thinks maybe he should have just told Sid what happened. He needs to tell Sid. He needs to.

He promises himself, come hell or high water, he’ll tell Sid tomorrow at dinner. It feels like a conversation he should have face-to-face. In the past he had made the unfortunate decision of texting his superhero identity to Gonch, and after Gonch screamed at him about security and being careful, Geno’s been wary of texts. It ended fine, but still, he’s more cautious now.

Also, he kind of wants to see Sid’s reaction when he tells him. Mostly because he feels like Sid will blush vividly, and Geno is really kind of an asshole. He feels ridiculously guilty, definitely, but he really wants to see Sid’s face.

So he goes to the game not in a suit (he wanted to impress Sid, okay?) but in spandex, tries to look more serious rather than ridiculous, and decides to enjoy himself. He accomplishes that easily. He really does love hockey, and he loves Sid, and Sid is _so good_. It’s an amazing game, and it isn’t until it’s over that Geno realizes he’s basically plastered to the glass and cheering with wild abandon.

Ah well, the city knows his feelings on the Penguins. It’ll probably make a great story. He’s so dizzy with enjoyment that it takes him a while to notice someone trying to get his attention. Not a fan, surprisingly (he’s been signing autographs between periods), but… holy shit, _Mario Lemieux_.

It’s possible Geno stands there for a few minutes, just blinking, before he manages to figure out that Mario Lemieux is trying to talk to him.

“Mario Lemieux” is all he croaks out, and Mario Lemieux laughs.

“Mario is fine,” he says. _Mario Lemieux_ says. This is almost as amazing as when he met Sid. “Heard you’re a fan.”

Mario has this small wicked grin on his face, similar to the one Sid gets when he’s being a little shit. Geno wonders who taught whom but dismisses it as unimportant.

“Yes. Very much.” He can’t even pretend to be normal right now. This is one of the greatest moments of his life.

“Would you like to meet the team?” Mario asks, and Geno nods and nods and nods. Mario laughs and turns to walk away, waving a hand for Geno to follow as the crowd parts for them. It’s a little disconcerting, but Geno’s gotten more used to it over the years. Besides, he’s with _Mario Lemieux_ , of course the crowd would move. Geno is happy just to trail in his wake.

It isn’t until they get to the locker room that Geno realizes why this may be a _completely terrible idea_. Shit, Sid is in that room. Shit, they’re going to introduce them. Shit, Geno is going to have to try and pretend that he doesn’t know Sid.

He’s not worried about pretending to be enraptured with Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. That part will be _easy_.

Mario stops in front of the locker room doors and doesn’t open them immediately. He turns to Geno. “Locker rooms can be a bit… rowdy. Do you mind?”

Geno shakes his head, trying to determine how he’s going to get through this. Mario nods and opens the doors.

It’s a bit chaotic inside, but it’s not the worst Geno’s ever seen. Geno has been in Russian locker rooms and there is a similar vein of mayhem. Lots of people in various stages between dressed and undressed, lots of shouting, and lots of chirping. It reminds him of home, honestly, and he smiles a little at it.

It quiets pretty quickly once they notice who’s in the room, but it’s not too uncomfortable. It helps when one of the players, Fleury (and fuck he’s _small_ without gear) shouts, “Tabernac! Fucking cool!” He bounds up to Geno and shakes his hand forcefully. “Oh man, Sid’s gonna lose his fucking mind.”

Geno tries not to wince and attempts a chuckle instead. It works from the looks of it. He’s then struck by the fact that he’s shaking Marc-Andre Fleury’s hand and almost doesn’t give it back.

Fleury grins at him. “Heard you were a fan. I mean, I can understand why you like Sid, but I hope you have some love for Pittsburgh’s best goalie.”

From another corner, there’s an whined “Hey!” that Geno assumes is from an offended second goalie: Zatkoff or Murray, he’s not sure.

“I still love you, ducklings!” Fleury shouts over his shoulder before turning back to look at Geno. “Seriously: Sid. Losing his shit. Gonna happen. I can’t wait.”

With that, he’s gone, and Geno tries to get his brain back in order as he’s introduced to other teammates. He shakes enough hands that he finally removes his gloves. They’re large and bulky, and it’s easier to swap from hand to hand without thick fabric in the way, as he shakes the hand of almost every member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Honestly, this should be the greatest moment of his life. Instead, he’s filled with an increasing sense of dread that builds until he hears, “Hey, Sid! Guess who came to visit?”

Geno turns, stomach lurching, and is faced with a vision of Sid with nothing but a towel around his waist, still partly dripping from the shower. Geno tracks a line of water helplessly and has to bite his tongue to stave off any unwanted erections. Geno uses very effective padding for situations like this (fighting equals adrenaline equals unexpected arousal), but it’s best not to risk it. Sid is literally everything he’s ever wanted in life and Geno’s not looking to test the limits of his clothing.

“Who came to— _oh_.” Geno watches the exact moment Sid notices his costume. His blush starts in his cheeks, but Geno didn’t know it went splotchy down his chest. He’s not sure what he’ll do with that information, but he’s struck by a need to suck bruises at each red mark. Sid’s nipples are perked in the cool air and he’s wet and naked and—

Fuck, Geno’s so hard it actually hurts. A quick glance confirms that no, it’s not noticeable, thank god. He manages to calm himself enough and stay focused on Sid’s face instead of his body, but that’s not helping either. He loves Sid’s face. He loves everything about Sid, and it doesn’t matter where he looks, if he’s looking at Sid, he’s fucked.

Sid stands there, eyes wide, and Geno is trying not to have a panic attack, and it’s possible they both look like idiots just staring at each other. Finally, someone coughs very loudly, and Sid jerks.

“Um, I’ll be—I just need to—clothes.” His voice is high and strangled, and it’s so very Sid that Geno almost smiles.

Sid practically flees to the bathroom, and the locker room roars with laughter.

“His face, oh my god. Mario, you’re such an asshole. You know he likes to air-dry a bit before putting on his suit.” That’s Kuni.

Geno turns to Mario who’s grinning that wicked grin. “I don’t know what you mean. I just thought our special guest might like to meet the team.”

Sid comes back out in suit pants and a button-up. He doesn’t have socks on, just bright yellow Crocs, and Geno is so stupidly in love with him that he aches.

“Sorry,” Sid says, and his bland media face is on. It strikes discordantly in Geno. Sid’s never looked at him like—

But Sid doesn’t know it’s Geno, and that’s all Geno’s fault.

“Is fine,” he says softly, and Sid frowns slightly before nodding. Geno feels like shredding his own tongue as he says, “Is nice to meet.”

“You too,” Sid says and holds out his hand. Geno reaches out to shake it, and that’s when it happens. Their hands touch, Sid looks down and frowns again before looking up at Geno with narrowed eyes. They widen and Sid’s mouth parts in something like a revelation when he looks at Geno’s face. “Oh,” he murmurs quietly, and there’s something in his expression that has Geno swallowing carefully.

They shake hands, and as they let go, Sid’s fingers brush at Geno’s wrist. Geno inhales carefully, and Sid is still _looking_ at him.

“I’m glad to meet you,” Geno says and feels stupid. He basically already said that, but Sid nods.

“Me too,” Sid says and finally smiles just a little. It’s familiar and comfortable, and Geno finally feels like he can breathe.

There’s a long silence in the locker room before it’s broken rather abruptly by the door opening and the reporters coming in. Mario touches Geno’s shoulder to get his attention, and Geno looks away from Sid for the first time in minutes. He feels strangely settled as Mario leads him into some photos with the team. Geno makes a few quotes and is given a rather staggering amount of memorabilia that he makes sure to get signed.

Sid watches him the whole time, and Geno is helpless but to watch back. He wants something that he can’t name in this moment. He just knows that he needs Sid to know, more than ever. He also wonders if it’s a moot point now. There’s something in the way Sid looks at him that reminds Geno of mornings at the shop and walks with Lucy. It’s not Sid’s media face, it’s just Sid, and that probably means something.

Geno’s finally led out of the locker room, and he shoots one last look at Sid, who smiles at him and waves just a little. Geno waves back, heart strangely full.

He comes home to a text that says _I’m coming over tonight_ and isn’t really surprised.

 

———————

 

Geno puts up his new posters and tugs on his new and signed Sidney Crosby jersey and sits on the couch with Lucy to wait. He’s not entirely certain how long Sid will be, but he makes himself comfortable.

Of all the things, it’s the knock on the door that surprises him. Lucy leaps from his lap and runs barking to the door, and he follows more sedately but with a hammering heart. He opens the door to Sid and raises an eyebrow. “Why knock?” he asks.

Sid shrugs. “I’m not sure. I don’t even know. I thought—” He looks down at Geno’s jersey, and the utter lack of surprise on his face cinches it. Geno watches his eyes flutter closed as he snorts. “I thought—”

“Come in?” Geno asks, and Sid nods. As the door shuts behind Sid, Geno bites his lip. “I was going to tell you tomorrow.”

Sid is petting Lucy who jumped him the second he got through the door. He looks up at Geno with a strange expression. “Were you?”

Okay, that’s fair. Geno shrugs. “Was the plan.”

Sid snaps his fingers and points, and Lucy cheerfully walks to her bed and lies down.

 _She’s so smart_ , Geno thinks.

“Okay,” Sid says. Geno watches him take a deep breath. He steps closer to Geno and reaches out to hook his fingers around the C of Geno’s jersey. Sid's gaze is stuck on the signature: his own from that night. “Okay.” He tugs and Geno steps in. He wouldn’t blame Sid if he punched him, but he’s hoping for something else. “Last time… last time I was here, you kissed me.”

 _On the cheek_ , Geno thinks but doesn’t say. The specifics aren’t important. He nods instead. “Yes.”

“And you were going to tell me you’re—”

“I’m Metaman,” he says, and Sid finally looks up at him. His eyes are glittering, and Geno feels trapped.

“I recognized your fucking wrists,” Sid says, apropos of nothing, and Geno barks out a laugh.

“My wrists?” He wants to keep laughing, but Sid’s fingers encircle his wrists, and the amusement dies. Sid’s thumbs brush over the bone, and it sends something shivering up Geno’s spine.

“Your eyes too, but these are what made me wonder.” He lets Sid pull his hands up and bites his lip when Sid leans in and presses two delicate kisses at the base of his hands, right over the veins.

“Sid.” Sid looks up at him, and licks his lips. “Sid, I’m sorry.” Sid shakes his head, but Geno keeps talking. “I always tell you ‘trust me,’ but I didn’t—”

“You tried that night you kissed me, didn’t you? That’s what you wanted to say before...” Oh and there’s the revelation Geno had been waiting for. He watches Sid go very, very red, and now that he has a very vivid knowledge of how far down that blush goes, it’s almost torture to watch. “Before I started, um, gushing. About you? Sort of you. I mean, I didn’t know—oh _god_. “

Geno tries to bite away his grin and fails miserably. “Was cute. Is cute.” He leans in slowly and, when Sid doesn’t lean away, taps their noses together. “You’re cute.”

“Am I?” Sid murmurs and lets go of Geno’s wrists. One hand grips at Geno’s hip, and the other slides up and around his neck. His nails scrape at the hairs at Geno’s nape, and Geno shudders.

Oh god, fuck it. He grabs Sid and tugs him closer until they’re basically plastered together, and tips his head just enough to brush Sid’s lips. He’s shaking he wants this so badly.

Sid gasps against his mouth, and Geno does it again and again. His hands tremble as he runs them up and down Sid’s spine, cards them through his hair, and squeezes the utterly ridiculous creation that is Sid’s ass. He thinks that of anything that’s ever happened to him, this is the greatest moment of his life.

Sid’s one hand is gripping his hair hard enough to hurt, and the other tugs at Geno’s jersey before slipping under. His fingers are long and cool and searching at Geno’s hipbone. Geno shivers as Sid splays his hand across Geno’s skin, and Geno kisses him harder.

He feels drunk on Sid’s kisses. Each one pulling him apart in hot agony. By the time Sid’s tongue slides into his mouth, he’s shuddering so much he thinks he’ll fall over.

He’s not entirely sure what the next step to this would have been other than some serious grinding or Geno’s knees giving out (or both), but it’s irrelevant after Sid yawns into his mouth. He pulls back, and Geno watches his cheek go pink.

“Sorry, I didn’t—” But now that he’s started, that’s the end of it. He yawns again, wide enough this time that Geno hears his jaw click.

“Is fine. Is bedtime, though,” Geno says. He’s not even disappointed. He’s waited long enough for this. He can wait longer, especially if Sid’s crashing. If it’s anything like he’s said, he’ll be out soon.

“No. No, it’s fine. Really. I don’t have to go. It’s fine.” The statement is punctuated by more yawning, and Geno finds it ridiculously endearing.

“I didn’t say go. Say bedtime.” He watches Sid blink up at him, bleary-eyed and confused, before the revelation dawns.

“Oh,” he murmurs, and Geno kisses him softly. “ _Oh_. Well okay. Yes.” He yawns again, and when Geno steps back, he staggers. Geno moves in again and helps hold Sid up. “I’m okay, really. Just… crashing. But I’ll be fine.”

Geno just smiles and helps Sid to his own room. He realizes he didn’t quite think this through when Sid strips down to his boxers and climbs into his bed, but Geno takes a few fortifying breaths before joining him. A heavy weight follows and Sid, already half-asleep, grumbles.

“Shouldn’t let the dog on the bed,” he says, muffled by the pillow.

“Is my bed. Dog can sleep if I say.”

Sid groans. “It’s gonna take forever to train her out of that.” Geno just smiles and tugs Sid in until Sid is spooned in his arms. He watches all tension slide from Sid’s body as Sid sighs, content. His breathing evens out soon after.

Geno presses a kiss to his neck and holds him a little tighter. He wants to hold on to Sid forever, just keep this moment for the rest of his life. He tries to memorize this feeling, this complete and perfect happiness, before closing his eyes to follow Sid into sleep.

 

———————

 

Geno wakes up the next morning to Sid in his arms and the most ridiculous feeling of satisfaction he’s ever known.

“Sorry for falling asleep,” Sid mumbles.

He looks down to see Sid rubbing at his eyes and that might have been what woke him. Geno leans in and places kisses wherever he can reach, which is mostly Sid’s hair and forehead and eyelids. When he pulls back, Sid is smiling up at him.

“I’m not,” Geno says, and his heart thumps madly at the pleased look on Sid’s face.

Lucy barks and Sid’s happy expression is replaced by determination. “She’s not sleeping in this bed.”

“Why not? Doesn’t hurt.” Geno never understood the insistence that dogs not sleep in the bed. If you cared about dog hair, maybe, but Geno doesn’t.

Sid looks up at him with dark, hooded eyes, and Geno swallows thickly. “Because there are things I’d like to do to you in this bed, and I don’t want an audience.”

Oh, well, that’s a good reason. Though speaking of dogs.

“Should let her out,” Geno says, even though he’s already hard, considering what things Sid may want to do.

Sid nods but pushes Geno back to the bed. “I’ll let her out. You stay.” He rakes his eyes down Geno’s body, and Geno goes hot. “And strip.”

Oh fuck. Geno nods, and Sid slides out of bed, whistling for Lucy. Geno watches his ass, clad in nothing but underwear, as he walks away, and he _wants_. He strips quickly and waits, every second an eternity.

By the time Sid comes back, Geno’s panting and aching to touch himself.

“Does a great refractory time come with great responsibility?” Sid asks, staring at Geno’s cock and licking his lips. Geno nods, swallowing painfully. “So I could get you off, and you’d still be able to come later?”

Geno is pretty sure he whimpers. “More than,” he manages to say and sees Sid’s eyes widen.

“Oh this is going to be fun,” Sid says, grinning, and Geno groans. Closing his eyes, he prays for strength.

The bed dips, and his eyes snap open as Sid climbs on top of him. Settling in Geno’s lap, Sid grinds down, and Geno chokes. He grabs Sid’s hips, arching up helplessly as his dick rubs almost painfully on Sid’s underwear. It feels like it’s chafing, but the burn just travels straight from his dick to his brain until he feels lit up, and already on the edge.

Sid does it again and again until Geno is shaking, and Sid’s grin is blinding as Geno comes. “Payback for yesterday,” he says.

Geno gasps for air. “That’s supposed to punish?” he asks and watches as Sid strips. Fuck, his ass is amazing, and his cock is—Geno licks his lips, mouth dry. This is better than seeing Sid wet and in a towel. Now he’s entirely naked, and it’s all for Geno. He reaches out and strokes at Sid’s hip, aching for him.

Sid looks up at him with a wicked expression. It softens a bit, maybe due to the look on Geno’s face. “No,” Sid says. “This is.” He squirms out of Geno’s hands and slides down until he’s breathing hot on Geno’s cock. He’s already hard again, and Sid tongues around Geno’s foreskin before bobbing his head.

Sid’s mouth is wet, sucking heat, and Geno feels like he’s dying as Sid blows him. Sid isn’t shy about it at all, and it’s not necessarily that Geno expected him to be, but he thought maybe a little reservation… Instead Sid sucks him like there’s nothing else he wants to do, and Geno’s coming again before he can think about it.

“Still not sure how punish,” Geno says, his words slurring.

Sid just hums around his dick, and then—oh fuck, he keeps going. Geno tries to pull away, oversensitive, but Sid’s nails dig into his hips, and Geno freezes. He wants to pull away, but he wants to stay. He hurts, but he needs more. Sid’s tongue seems to curl it’s way perfectly around him, and the noises he makes are agonizing. All Geno can hear is sloppy, slick noises, and he whimpers when Sid’s teeth just barely graze at the tip of his cock.

Geno curls his fingers in Sid’s hair, and thinks he could die like this. He’s not sure if he’s trying to pull Sid away, or closer, but Sid just keeps making choked gasps as he swallows Geno’s cock again and again, and Geno’s going to die. He can’t handle this.. It isn’t until Geno comes again, almost sobbing, that Sid pulls up.

“Figured it out yet?” he asks, his voice a wreck. There’s a smear of come at the corner of his mouth that he licks away, and Geno whines. “You have lube?” When Geno nods, Sid just raises an eyebrow and waits.

It takes Geno longer than it should to figure out what Sid wants. He let’s go of Sid’s hair to reach out and fumble at the nightstand beside his bed. His hand shakes as he gives Sid the lube.

“See, we could have done this slow. I had a game plan and everything. Test the waters, see what you thought.” Sid slicks his fingers and slips one inside Geno. He’s still careful and slow despite his earlier words, and Geno appreciates it. It’s been a while. “But then you kissed me. Then I found out you lied to me—”

Oh fuck. “Sorry. Sid, I’m sorry.” He shudders as Sid adds a second finger and crooks them, pressing up against his prostate. He keeps pressing and pressing until Geno shouts. He hasn’t even had a chance to go soft, and already he feels like he could come again. If Sid keeps fingering his prostate like that, it’s definitely going to happen.

“Shh, I know you are, and I understand.” Geno looks at Sid, his vision blurry from pleasure. “I’m just having fun fucking with you.”

“Oh, you _asshole_ ,” Geno says. He’s pretty sure he says it in Russian. Not that it matters, because Sid just grins at him. He leans in and starts sucking his cock again, making the same ruining noises from before.

By the time Geno comes again, he’s actually sobbing, and Sid has three fingers in his ass. Sid lets him slip from his mouth and presses kisses at his hips, only stopping when Geno reaches for him blindly. He threads his fingers in Sid’s hair again and tugs him up to kiss him properly. Or at least, as well as he can considering he’s completely punch-drunk.

“I know why you didn’t tell me,” Sid says softly, his fingers rubbing against Geno’s prostate one more time before he removes them. Geno tries to arch up and away at the same time, and can barely understand what Sid is even saying, but he tries. “Telling me is a huge deal, and no one is owed that secret. So thank you for even wanting to.”

“Of course I wanted to. I love you. I love you so much, Sid.”

Sid chuckles and kisses him. “I have no idea what you’re saying.”

Oh right. English. It takes a minute to remember how to translate. “Of course I want to,” he says. He bites back the “I love you.” He’s not sure if he should say it. Without the heat of the moment he feels too emotional. He’s come so many times he’s not even sure which way is up, so it’s probably better to save the serious conversations for a time when his brain isn’t mush.

Sid kisses him again, and Geno gets distracted. Fuck, he feels wrung out in the best of ways. He can only watch as Sid leans over to root around in his desk drawer and comes out with a condom. He whimpers, and Sid turns to him with a grin.

“Think you got one more in you?” he asks.

Geno shakes his head, but his cock is already hardening, and it _hurts_. It hurts so much, but it’s so fucking good. He watches Sid open the condom and gasps a minute later as Sid pushes into him. His cock is a blunt, unrelenting pressure that Geno almost thinks he can feel in his throat as Sid bottoms out.

“Fucking, fuck. Sid, fuck.”

Sid moves in him and groans. “That’s the plan,” he says, voice low and raspy. That, and the knock to his prostate, hits like a punch to the gut. He grabs Sid’s shoulder with one hand, Sid’s hair with the other, and holds on as best he can as Sid thrusts again and again.

Geno feels like he’s rattling apart. He tested the limits of his refractory period, but that was almost ten years ago. His hands usually shake too much to keep going, and it’s not like he can ask his hookups. This, though, Sid above him, fucking him, _wanting him_ , is more than he can handle. He finally has to let go and grab the sheets instead, just to keep from hurting Sid.

A loud tear echoes through the room, the bedsheets, and Sid stops just long enough for Geno to arch his hips and beg.

“ _Geno_.”

“Please, please, Sid. Fuck, please, you can’t—” He cries out when Sid starts again, and he feels like he’s been cracked open. There’s nothing left to him but raw nerves and agonising pleasure. Nothing for him but Sid.

There’s a sharp pain at his shoulder, bright and blinding, where Sid bites, and Geno feels Sid’s hips stutter. “ _Fuck_.”

“ _Sid_.” He bites his tongue as Sid wraps a hand around his dick. It hurts. He’s come too many times tonight and his dick is too raw, too sensitive. It’s too much. It’s too much, and he can’t—he can’t—

He whites out as he comes.

 

———————

 

Geno comes back to himself to Sid tracing patterns over his wrists and a low buzzing. He cracks his eyes open and looks at Sid, who smiles at him. Affection swells in him, but the buzzing continues and continues, and finally he realizes it’s his phone.

He swears in Russia and watches Sid’s eyes go wide. He doesn’t have time to explain before he lurches out of bed and dives for his phone.

He answers it quickly, trying not to groan in frustration. He finally hangs up and when he looks back at the bed Sid is staring at him, perplexed. He's sitting up now, the sheets pooled in his lap. His chest is bare and covered in bruises.

“Emergency,” Geno says, voice hoarse. God, he wants Sid so badly. He feels like they’ve barely started the things they could do together.

Sid sort of huffs, and Geno watches his shoulders fall. “I thought… never mind. It’s alright, you go. Save the city, right?”

Geno nods, already grabbing his uniform and heading to the bathroom to clean up. His knees are shaking violently, and he hopes that clears up before he has to fight anyone. It’s only as he’s drying off that he thinks about what Sid said. He thought… what? That Geno kissed him, had the best sex of his life, and—

And woke up, panicked, and jumped out of bed. Oh, well fuck.

He tugs his uniform on, bounds back into his room, and pushes Sid into his sheets, kissing him fiercely. Sid grunts in surprise but throws his arms around him soon enough. He sighs as Geno pulls away, and the noise has Geno wanting to pick his phone back up and beg for a reprieve. Instead, he kisses Sid again and detaches slowly.

Sid watches him with hooded eyes as he opens the door to his balcony. Geno swallows harshly, and he already feels like he’s flying even before his feet leave the ground.

“I love you,” he says quickly, in English this time, and Sid’s eyes go wide. He flies off before Sid can respond. It’s may be cowardly, but Geno’s ears are roaring and he’s too panicked to care. He can cite saving the city as his reason later.

Look, superheroes can be cowardly too. Not that he’s a coward, he’s just—okay, it's not the time for this. Fly away, save the city. Protect Pittsburgh. Protect Lucy. Protect Sid. Protect his home.

His home. That’s a strange thought but a good one. It’s true enough now, isn’t it? Pittsburgh is his, and Pittsburgh is home.

Geno shakes his head, looking for focus. Later. He can think about this later. He can think about Sid naked and splayed across his sheets and wanting him later. He can think about how he told Sid he loved him later.

Crap, he didn’t say goodbye to Lucy. Well, she’ll probably forgive him. Hopefully, Sid will too.

Geno winces and flies just a little faster.

 

———————

 

He sneaks back to his place and his balcony late that evening. While he may not enter the shop in his uniform, he tends to make exceptions for his room. The building is surrounded by a rather ridiculous amount of trees, and Geno is pretty good at sneaking nowadays. (Though Gonch has mentioned underground passageways, but Gonch is a paranoid old man.) He can hear soft breathing and smiles softly at the thought of Lucy waiting for him.

It’s rather ridiculously late, and he knows Sid has a game tomorrow, so he decides texting can wait until morning. Sid’s probably asleep, and Geno’s not sure what he would say anyway. Sorry I said I love you and bailed? Besides, they only just had sex. They haven’t talked about any of this. He’s sure Sid likes him—he doesn’t think Sid is a casual hookup kind of person—but love? Love is a bit more… dramatic.

Then add in that Sid just found out he’s Metaman? Sid will probably need time to consider if the risk is worth it. Also, dating Geno in general. He’s the world’s best hockey player and dating a man would be complicated at best.

Geno sighs and shuts his patio door behind him. His room is dark, but Geno has good eyes, and he strips without knocking over anything. Folding his costume, he places it on the nightstand. He’ll wash it later. He finds a pair of sleep pants and drags them on and calls it good enough.

Then he remembers he’ll probably need to change his sheets and groans. He’s too old for this shit. If he feels like he was fucked into tomorrow, supervillains could at least wait a day to attack. He’s sore _everywhere_ and only content about some of the aches. The bubbling happiness from this morning feels so far away.

It isn’t until he actually looks at his bed that he realizes something is off. The lump on his bed is under his sheets, different ones from this morning, and the soft breathing isn’t Lucy’s. Geno’s breath catches in his throat as he realizes _Sid_ is in his bed. He looks around and notices a duffel bag by his door, and his heart feels overfull.

His throat aches and his eyes water, and he wants to be calm about this, but he’s so fucking tired. He’s tired, and he told Sid he loved him, and Sid is still _here_. He’s careful as he slips under the sheets. He wants to pull Sid into his arms, but he doesn’t want to wake him. Instead, he reaches out and brushes at Sid’s hair.

“I love you,” he murmurs. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Sid mumbles in his sleep and turns into his hand, and Geno tries not to cry. Fuck, he’s exhausted. He should sleep, but Sid is still here, and he just can’t—

He shifts closer as carefully as possible and rests his head on Sid’s chest. He listens to Sid’s heartbeat through his sleep shirt and just breathes. He’ll move in a minute. He just needs to know Sid is here when he closes his eyes. He’ll move in a minute.

Just one minute.

 

———————

 

He wakes to fingers running through his hair, and he hums. “Still here,” he mumbles and hears Sid chuckle.

“You don’t get to complain about me making myself at home. You’re the one who said you loved me and _bailed_ ,” Sid says. He doesn’t sound too angry, though, and his fingers are still petting Geno’s hair, so Geno doesn’t panic too much.

“Not complaining,” he says and tries to wake up fully. His English comprehension isn’t the best first thing in the morning, but he wants Sid to know how happy he is. “Not complaining at all. I’m glad you’re here. So glad.” He sighs that last part into Sid’s skin and feels lips at the top of his head. He shivers in pleasure, even as Sid does it again.

“Mmm, well that’s good. Love you, too, by the way, you asshole,” Sid says, and it takes Geno a minute to register that. His head snaps up, and he looks at Sid, wincing at the sleep still in his eyes. He almost smacks himself in the face when he tries to wipe the grit away.

“You—” His tongue feels thick in his mouth, and he stutters.

“I love you,” Sid says again. He’s smiling widely, and he giggles just a little. It’s the best sound Geno has ever heard. “You _asshole_.”

Geno has a moment where he feels like he’s floating. Sid loves him. Sid _loves_ him. Sid... is snorting and grabbing at his shoulders, and Geno realizes he actually is floating, just a little. Oops. He settles back down, and Sid shakes his head in exasperation, but he leans in when Geno tips his head up.

They trade kisses back and forth, soft at first but increasingly harder and more desperate as it continues. Geno finally just shifts his way into Sid’s lap, and then they’re kissing and rocking against each other, and it’s so fucking good.

“I love you,” Geno gasps.

Sid moans, his nails digging hard into Geno’s hips as he hauls him in again and again. “I love you,” he says back, and his voice is low and stuttering with pleasure. Geno thinks he could die like this, with Sid under him, finding his completion with each devastating roll of his hips.

Sid is starting to make low-pitched moans with each thrust when a _loud_ alarm blares through the room. The sound feels like a knife in Geno’s ears, and he yelps. He moves away from Sid and sits back, covering his ears on instinct. He’s pretty sure it’s the Penguins theme song, but he’s having a hard time recognizing it at the moment. He can generally control his hearing, but he’d been so focused on every little noise Sid made that he’d been turned up to 11 and now everything just hurts.

The alarm cuts out, but Geno is still wincing in pain. Hands grip his wrists, and he very slowly let’s them be pulled from his ears.

“Shh,” Sid says very quietly and breathes very carefully. It helps center him. “It’s okay. I’m sorry. It’s okay.”

Geno shakes his head. The pain is gone now. “Not your fault.” He opens his eyes, unsure when he closed them, and Sid is looking at him concerned. His fingers are running through Geno’s hair. “Is okay.”

“So there’s a reason your phone is on vibrate, then?” Sid asks.

Geno shakes his head. “Is fine usually. Just… was distracted. Didn’t expect—”

Sid goes slightly pink. “I feel almost flattered. Should I turn down my volume, then? I don’t mind,” he says as Geno opens his mouth. Geno closes it instead and nods slowly. Sid grabs his phone, and it beeps a few times, quieter and quieter. He looks at Geno curiously, and Geno nods.

“Thank you,” he says, and Sid leans in to kiss him. Geno’s reminded that just a few minutes ago, he and Sid were both on their way to an orgasm, but Sid shifts away when he tries to grab him again.

“The alarm means I need to get ready. I have practice,” he says, looking as disappointed as Geno feels.

“Five minutes?” Geno asks.

Sid raises an eyebrow. “Do you really think you can make me come in five minutes?” he asks, and Geno hears him make a strangled noise when Geno pushes him to the sheets and tugs his shorts down.

“Yes,” Geno says, very determined. He mouths his way around the head of Sid’s cock before sucking him down firmly. He’s never entirely tested how long he can hold his breath for, but he’s okay with finding out this way. Especially with how Sid scrabbles at his shoulders and calls his name again and again.

Geno loses track of how long it’s been, but he’s pretty sure he manages the five-minute timeline. He’s dizzy from lack of oxygen, but that’s almost making it better. He swallows around Sid’s cock and grinds against his sheets at the sound of Sid’s groans.

Sid’s dick jerks and throbs as he comes, and Geno finally reaches down and strokes himself twice before coming. He tries to swallow as he orgasms, but it’s distracting, and he knows he missed some of Sid’s come from the wetness of his lips. Still, he doesn’t stop sucking Sid’s cock until Sid whimpers and pushes at his head.

He has to blink away spots when he comes back up, feeling wrung out and strangely blank as he gasps for air. He lets himself be pulled up and responds to Sid’s kisses dimly. His brain won’t stop buzzing, but it feels so good he doesn’t mind.

“Fuck, if I didn’t have practice,” Sid says and keeps kissing him. He finally lets Geno go, and Geno lies back on his bed and smiles at Sid as he gets up. Sid looks back at him, and Geno keeps smiling. He feels punch-drunk and completely content with the world as Sid smiles back. “I’ll owe you, okay?”

Geno just sighs happily. He doesn’t think Sid owes him anything. His brain is still buzzing pleasantly and he’s had sex with Sid again and Sid said he loves him. Geno is 100 percent content with _everything_.

He watches Sid run to the bathroom to clean up and then back out to get dressed. Sid grabs his duffle bag, comes back long enough to kiss Geno and grab his phone, and then he’s off. Lucy barrels into the room when he opens the door, and he pets her quickly before he’s gone. “Love you, bye!” he shouts, and Geno hears his front door open and close.

Lucy barks at Geno but doesn’t jump on the bed. Further proof that she’s the smartest dog ever. Geno just stays there for a few more minutes, grinning stupidly at his ceiling, until Lucy barks again. He gets up to clean off and let her out, and he feels like everything in his life couldn’t be more perfect.

 

———————

 

He kind of keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it keeps not happening. It’s actually starting to worry him.

“Oh no,” Gonch says sarcastically. “You have a good life, a great dog, and a man who loves you terribly. How awful.”

“I knew it! You love Lucy,” Geno says, grinning. He pauses as something clicks in his brain. “Wait, isn’t that a TV show?”

There’s a long silence as Gonch just stares at him. “Are you fucking kidding me? Are you really... Yes, it’s a TV show. It’s one of those stupid shows your fucking boyfriend watches. How did you just figure this out?” Gonch asks, his head tilting to the side. It’s the same expression he gets when one of his daughters has done something particularly dumb. (Geno thinks they don’t see it as often as he does.)

“How was I supposed to know?” Geno asks defensively. He’s not in the habit of watching old television shows. He tends to fall asleep when Sid puts them on. (In fairness, Sid has done the same with Geno’s Russian shows so at least they’re even.)

“He shows it to the _dog_!” Gonch points to Lucy, then flails his hands a bit in emphasis. “The dog who I very much believe is smarter than you! What the fuck?” He probably would have kept cursing if Geno hadn’t interrupted him.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Geno says, trying to bring the conversation back on track. “Uh, what were we saying?”

“You’re an idiot, and you’re going to sabotage your own relationship with self-doubt,” Gonch says.

That is just not fair. “Look, it’s not that I’m expecting it to all fall apart—”

“Yes you are,” Gonch says and raises an eyebrow when Geno opens his mouth to protest.

Geno closes his mouth but sighs. “I mean, we’re both really busy? And he’s a famous hockey player. And I’m Metaman. And it shouldn’t be working this well, but it is. Even if you factor out the supervillains, someone in the middle of the playoffs shouldn’t have this much free time, should they?”

“Well, it’s not exactly free time, he just basically sleeps here, and that helps a lot,” Gonch says, but Geno has just had a thought strike him.

Playoffs. Sid is busy because of playoffs, and they’re going to end soon, and Sid is going to— “Oh.”

There’s the dropped shoe, he thinks.

 

———————

 

He thinks Gonch has a point about Geno’s “sabotaging self-doubt”, because he tries to bring his worries up to Sid, and that makes it _worse_.

“You think about summer plans?” he asks, in the dead of night, when Sid is half-asleep. He can’t find the courage otherwise.

“Yeah,” Sid murmurs, voice thick and mumbling. “Will be nice to see family. Have time to myself.”

Time to himself, _to himself_. “Alone?” Geno murmurs.

Sid hums and is asleep not long after. Geno bites his tongue, closes his eyes, and tries to find some rest as well.

 

———————

 

“You think I could come to a game? Maybe meet team?”

Sid laughs. “What, once wasn’t enough for you? You need more swag for your walls?” He grins at Geno and kisses him before turning back to the spaghetti sauce on the stove. “I can get you in the box, probably, or a ticket if you’d prefer? But the team gets a bit wild during playoffs. Probably best to wait until the new season when we’re not all grumpy stress-balls.”

Geno swallows thickly. “Is fine,” he says. He tries not to think about how Sid doesn’t notice the difference between Metaman meeting the team, and _Geno_ meeting _Sid’s friends_. Even if he fails at that, he manages to convince Sid he’s not really that hungry. Truthfully, he's nauseous, but he'd rather lie than ever worry Sid.

 

———————

 

He tries not to think about it, but with each passing day and each game, he realizes his time with Sid is growing shorter and shorter. Soon, playoffs will be over and Sid will go back to Canada. Alone.

Will he break up with Geno first? Or will the distance do the work for him? It probably wouldn’t be hard. Geno hasn’t been introduced to Sid’s friends or family. They just know him as “that guy who helps Sid look after his dog.” Sid’s never mentioned changing that. He hasn’t mentioned his plans for the summer, either, beyond “going home.”

That stings, honestly. Does Sid not see Pittsburgh as home? Does he not see Geno as home? What if he wants to take Lucy with him when he goes? Geno loves him too much to deny him anything. So Sid could take Lucy and Geno’s heart, and head off to Nova Scotia. Alone.

He has to come back, though, right? He has to come back and play hockey in the fall, but that’s nothing that involves having Geno around. If he takes Lucy with him, he would have no reason to come back to Geno. None at all.

Geno sits in his couch with Lucy in his lap, and he hugs her close. He closes his eyes when the door opens. He’s too scared to have this conversation. He can’t. He’ll take what he can get for the next few weeks and hold it close to his heart and hope.

Sid walks over, kisses Geno’s head, and sits beside him. “Long day?” he asks. “I didn’t see anything on the news.”

Geno looks up at him finally, and even though Sid just came off a winning game, he looks at Geno like Geno’s personal problems are all that matters. It cracks Geno’s heart wide open, and he pulls Sid in and kisses him fiercely. Sid grunts in surprise but responds well enough, and it hurts. It hurts so much, but they say goodnight to Lucy, and even though Sid says he’s about to crash, Geno manages to pin him to the bed, suck him down, and swallow his orgasm before he passes out. The feeling of vicious satisfaction overrides the ache.

It’s the third time this week that Sid has passed out. Sid keeps saying he owes Geno, but Geno doesn’t see it that way.

He sees it as taking everything he can before it’s gone.

 

———————

 

The end of April rolls around. Pittsburgh is still in the playoffs, Sid has a couple days to breathe, and Geno’s heart has a few days to shatter. Sid takes the free days he has to “make it up” to Geno, and Geno doesn’t have the heart to tell him he doesn’t need it. He gets more orgasms in those few days than he ever thought possible, and it’s not what he wants at all.

He could care less about reciprocal orgasms. He just wants to know what’s going to happen when playoffs are over. When all of this is over. He doesn’t want Sid to feel like he owes Geno anything. He doesn’t want Sid counting off orgasms like it evens the scales or something. He just wants Sid to want him. To love him.

He wants to spend less time in bed and more time doing… anything else. Meeting Sid’s friends. Meeting Sid’s family. Talking to anyone that Sid knows. He knows Sid talks to them. He’s heard Sid on the phone, conversations always cut off with a quick “sorry, gotta go!” whenever Geno comes into view.

He just wants to know what’s going to happen to them when the summer starts.

He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t even have time to ask Sid. If they aren’t distracted by their jobs or distracted by sex, they’re asleep. Anytime Geno tries to talk there’s practice to get to or games to play or his stupid cell phone buzzing and buzzing.

It’s like villains are literally incapable of taking a break, and Geno is _exhausted_. He’s tired and worn out and sad, and he can’t find a spare minute to find out if he’s one hockey game away from losing his boyfriend, and he can’t fucking handle this.

Then they exit the second series, Pittsburgh having fought and won to stay in the playoffs. Sid goes about his usual appreciative methods, and Geno finally bursts into tears.

Okay, it’s maybe not quite that dramatic, but he definitely starts crying.

He’d feel pathetic, but he can’t _do_ this anymore. He hasn’t had anything to do in the last couple weeks except fight and fuck and _think,_ and he just can’t do this.

To say that Sid is alarmed would be an understatement. The fact that he was one good movement away from Geno’s pants probably didn’t help.

“Hey, hey, sweetheart.” Oh and the endearment is _agonizing_. “It’s okay. Geno, babe, what’s wrong?”

Fuck. All Geno wants to do is haul Sid in and kiss him until Sid can’t think about leaving him. He had mentioned the cost of tickets to Canada earlier, and it took all Geno had not to beg him to stay. “Is fine. Sorry. Is fine, just tired. Sorry, Sid, sorry.”

Sid kisses him until he’s quiet. “You’ve been strange the last couple weeks. What’s wrong?”

Geno sometimes forgets how aware Sid is. Sid, as a general rule, isn’t selfish, but he’s busy and occasionally self-centered. He’s captain of a hockey team, and at the moment, he’s in the playoffs. He has to be self-centered right now, or at least team-centered. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have keen eyes, though. He’s a hockey player after all.

“Is fine,” Geno repeats weakly.

Sid kisses him again. “Trust me,” he murmurs, and that’s just not fair.

Still, Geno probably deserves that one. He pulls Sid on top of him, buries his face in his neck, and sighs. “You’re leaving,” he mumbles. When Sid makes a curious noise, he says it again, louder.

Sid tries to pull back, but Geno doesn’t let him. Finally, Sid just pets at his hair. “Yes? But I’ll be coming back.”

Easy to say that now. What about the long months without Geno where Sid will have time to think about their relationship? Where he can carefully consider all the ways being a famous hockey player dating a man is a bad idea? He’ll come back from the summer (probably tanned and always gorgeous) and tell Geno it’s not worth it. It’s too risky. He’s taking Lucy and they’re over.

Okay, so Geno is maybe being a bit dramatic. A lot dramatic. Geno has maybe read one-too-many sad Russian love stories. Still, he has a right to be a little concerned. Sid will be gone soon, and Geno’s not sure how he’s going to handle having had Sid in his bed for weeks on end and then nothing for months.

“Besides, you can fly,” Sid says.

Geno snaps back to the conversation. He finally let’s Sid pull away, and he looks up at him, confused. “What?” His voice is weak and warbly, but he manages to croak out his confusion.

Sid raises an eyebrow. “You can fly? So visits won’t be too hard if we’re careful.”

Something light and buzzing enters Geno’s brain. It feels a lot like incandescent joy. “You want—I could—” If Sid still wants to see him, maybe it won’t end? Geno can be persuasive. He can be very persuasive. If he can visit Sid, he’ll have all the time in the world to convince Sid to stay.

Sid’s eyes go wide. “You didn’t—you thought—oh my god, Geno.” Sid kisses him hard and unending until Geno’s head spins. “Oh my god, really? Really? You actually—”

What Geno actually did, he’s not entirely sure. Sid sort of pins him to the bed and takes rather thorough advantage of him. More than once, and after, when Geno feels like he’s come his brain out, he sort of lies on the bed dazed. Sid’s head is pillowed on his chest, and he keeps lazily pressing wet kisses to his skin.

“You idiot,” Sid says softly. “Did you really think I wanted to go all summer without seeing you? Even if you couldn’t fly, I can afford a freaking plane ticket.”

Geno’s heart feels overfull, and he thinks he might have been a bit stupid. “You said you wanted time to yourself.”

Sid bites his nipple, and Geno tries not to groan. His refractory period is impressive and ridiculous sometimes, and it shouldn’t be up to Sid to try and keep up with it.

“Time to myself does not mean time without you. Beat reporters, crazy rival fans, the _media_ , but never you. Idiot.” Sid’s hand trails down and wraps around Geno’s dick even as Geno tries to tell him it’s okay. He doesn’t have to. “I love you. I’m not letting you go.” He squeezes his hand and Geno bucks up, whimpering.

By the time he’s come _again_ , his skin feels like it’s humming with pleasure.

“Love you too,” he says quietly, and Sid kisses him.

“I know you do. You idiot.”

Okay, so Geno deserves that one. Now that he has Sid here and talking, though, he needs to ask. “You… You said I shouldn’t meet the team.”

Sid looks up at him, confused. “You’ve already met them.”

Geno forces himself to spit out the rest. “ _Metaman_ met team. Not… I didn’t. Not me. Is different.” Or it should be different. Maybe it isn’t, but he feels like it is.

He doesn’t want to meet the team as Metaman this time. He wants to meet them as Geno. Co-owner of Lucy, and Sid’s boyfriend. Or at least as Sid’s friend. He’s known Sid for months and has yet to meet any of his friends and family. It doesn’t even have to be a boyfriend thing, he doesn’t expect Sid to come out for him, but at least an acknowledgement that he exists would be nice.

He tries to explain this, as best as he can, and figures he does an okay job, because Sid nods. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it that way. I kind of keep forgetting not everyone knows you're Metaman.”

“Don’t need to be sorry. Just,” Geno sighs, “I should have said something, too.”

“You tried, didn’t you?” Sid asks. “That’s what you’ve been talking about the last couple weeks. I just thought you were curious, not upset.”

“Not your fault.”

Sid leans up and kisses him. “I meant to talk to you. I mean, after Playoffs were over. I didn’t think this would be such a concern. I thought it was a given: you visiting me. Well, if you want to. You don’t have to.”

He kisses Sid until he’s quiet. “I want to. I do. I want to.”

Sid smiles at him. “I want you to.”

They trade kisses back and forth and spend the rest of the day playing with Lucy and talking about summer plans. By the time evening falls and Sid has to go home, Geno has had a ridiculous amount of orgasms, has planned no less than one trip a week, and feels remarkably at peace with the world.

Except for one thing.

“Did you name our dog after a TV show?”

“... Did you just figure that out?”

 

———————

 

Playoffs come and go, and Geno gets the interesting experience of seeing Sid legitimately upset, and of learning how to console someone you care for.

Honestly, he sort of flails at Gonch and Ksenia for advice, and it goes relatively well all things considered. He spends the first couple days in “I am the Captain and I am strong” mode with clipped answers and blank expressions. It’s painful to watch, and it’s even harder to get Sid to admit he’s upset.

It’s almost better when he finally breaks and tries to pick fights with Geno. Mostly because Geno refuses to give him the satisfaction and Sid likes to bite when he’s angry. The sex is pretty phenomenal for a while. After, when he’s calmed down and talking to Geno, the sex stays especially phenomenal because Sid just likes to bite whether he's angry or not. Geno grins at every bruise, even as they quickly fade on his skin.

The best part of it comes a week after playoffs are over. Or, at least, _Sid's_ playoffs are over. He's stayed in the city a little longer to have more time with Lucy and make more concrete plans with Geno. He also made lunch plans for them. Lunch plans that involve Geno, Sid, and one of the other players that’s stuck around.

Geno looks at Sid's face and is very glad Sid’s not the one driving. Sid is white as a sheet. His knuckles are the same colour, clenched around his arm rest.

“Don't have to,” Geno says. He would be upset about how absolutely terrified Sid looks, but he can't muster the energy specifically because of how _absolutely terrified_ Sid looks.

Geno's not sure what the big deal is. This is a casual lunch. It's not like Sid is telling anyone they're dating. Maybe he's having a hard time remembering how to separate his feelings? Geno certainly has to keep reminding himself not to do anything like grab Sid's hand or stare at Sid for too long.

Sid shakes his head. “No,” he croaks. He coughs, and when he speaks again, his voice is clearer. “No, I want to do this. You… I love you, you know that?”

Geno raises an eyebrow. “No, Sid,” he says sarcastically. “I think you're meet friend with me because you hate me.”

Sid punches him. At least it gets his hands off the arm rests. “You suck. I'm being serious. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Geno says.

Sid smiles at him until they turn into the restaurant parking lot. Then he goes pale again. He doesn't say anything else. He opens his door when Geno parks and walks with him through the door as though he's preparing for war.

Geno just rolls his eyes. Apparently, Sid is determined to be as dramatic as possible. Honestly, it's just _lunch_. Geno should really be the worried one. Meeting Sid's friends as a friend is only the first step. He has to cultivate these relationships. Make sure they like him. If they like him, then it won't be so bad when Sid tells them the truth.

He hopes anyway.

They're gestured to a back table where someone already sits. Geno wonders if he’ll ever get used to how small goalies are in real life as Flower stands to greet them.

“Squid!” Flower tugs Sid into a hug. Sid's shoulders stay stiff, but he goes easily enough into the embrace. “And this is… Geno?”

Geno blinks in surprise. He had thought this was an introduction, but Flower sounds like he already knows who he is.

“Da? Yes. Nice to meet,” Geno says, holding out his hand.

Flower shakes it vigorously. His eyes narrow in a way that alarms Geno, but he doesn't say anything else. He gestures for them to sit, and Geno realizes he and Sid are in the awkward position of sitting beside each other in a very small booth.

Geno tries to act normally as he slides in and Sid crams in beside him. He's very aware of the heat of Sid's leg pressed against his and groans internally. It's hard enough pretending they're just friends. This is just temptation.

“Soooo,” Flower says, grinning widely.

“How are Vero and the girls?” Sid cuts him off quickly.

Flower has a pained look on his face. Used to the teasing nature of friends, Geno’s pretty sure there's a fight going on between Flower's desire to chirp and his fatherly need to gush (he looks like Gonch—always one moment away from rhapsodising about his kids).

The father in him wins out and the ensuing conversation lasts through most of lunch. It isn't until they're contemplating dessert that Geno notices a dangerous pause. He tries to think of literally any topic to fill it, but Flower beats him to it.

Goalies: they’re quick on their feet, and their minds are quicker still.

“So Geno. You're Russian?” Flower asks, and Geno nods. Flower turns to Sid and raises an eyebrow. “Apparently, Sid has a thing for Russians.”

Geno can feel Sid freeze. “Really?” Geno asks. It's not a real question. He knows the answer, but he can't deny he's curious about what Flower is getting at.

“Yup. Tall, muscular, Russians. It's a thing. Have you seen him gush about Metaman?”

Geno grins. “Yes.”

“Flower,” Sid says. His face is bright red, and Geno has to hold back a giggle. “Come on.”

“I'm just saying. You have a thing for tall, muscular, Russians, and Geno is such a man. Is Metaman gonna have some competition?”

Geno snorts. Flower couldn't be more obvious if he tried. Honestly, Geno is okay with Flower finding out if he's going to keep being so ridiculous. He already seems to suspect, or at least is attempting the world's worst game of matchmaker.

Sid doesn't seem to find it funny, though. “ _No_ ,” he snaps.

Geno has a moment to go cold. He knows what the plan was, but hearing such a firm denial still cuts him. He hadn't expected that. He thought he'd be okay with it. Abruptly, he realizes he really isn't okay at all and maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe it's better he doesn't meet anyone until Sid's ready to come out. This hurts more than he expected.

He tries to smile, but he's not sure how well he manages. “Sid's big Metaman fan,” he says, trying to joke, “always wants to watch news.” If he keeps talking, maybe he can make this okay.

He hears Sid make a frustrated noise. “No,” Sid says again, and okay, now Geno is _really_ confused. “No, there's no competition. Metaman was a crush. Geno's my… my boyfriend.”

Geno's neck cracks when he whips his head to look at Sid. Sid isn't looking at him, though. He's staring across the table at Flower. His cheeks are bright red.

There's a long pause, and Geno spends it trying his damnedest not to lay Sid on the table and kiss his senseless. He's holding on to his sensibilities by a thread. Sid just admitted…

“Yeah?” Flower finally says. “I gathered?”

Another long pause. “What?” Sid croaks.

“Dude, you talk about him a _lot_ . ‘Oh, I had dinner with Geno and we talked about our day! Oh, Geno and I taught our dog to sit! Oh, I share a dog with a hot, animal-loving man who makes me dinner and is so amazing! Doesn't he sound amazing, Flower? Because he's amazing!’ It’s legitimately worse than anything you’ve ever said about Metaman, ever. And you once drunkenly admitted you wanted to climb Metaman like a tree.” Geno chokes, and Flower winks at him (though Geno knows he doesn’t know the real reason Geno’s choking). “Honestly, Sid. You haven’t shut up about Geno for _months_.”

Geno turns his head away from Flower’s second wink as his cheeks burn. Knowing Sid talks about him does a lot to ease his concerns about meeting Sid's friends. He can't imagine it all will go as well as this, but this is a good first start.

He's about to thank Flower when he hears Sid hiccup and turns to him in concern. Sid's face is buried in his arms, and his shoulders are shaking.

“Sid,” Geno says and grabs his shoulder. He's about to tug him into his arms when he hears Sid start giggling.

Sid looks up from his arms, face wet but grinning. He giggles again. “Why did I think this would be hard?” he asks with a warbly voice.

Flower smiles at him. “It will be,” he says, reaching over to pat Sid on the head. “Other people, other teams, media, the world, they'll be hard. Me? I'm easy. I'm not cheap, mind you! But I'm easy.”

Sid's next giggle turns into a hiccup, and he hides his face again.

They manage to pay, and leave the restaurant with few aware that Sidney Crosby had a breakdown in the back booth. It involves Flower knocking his water glass over, making a spectacle of himself, and probably some kind of divine intervention, but they reach the parking lot without anyone stopping them. It’s a minor miracle really.

It isn't until they're back in the car and driving home that Geno looks at Sid and asks “So?”

Sid sighs. “I just… I couldn't. I don't think I can do this.”

Geno has an alarming minute where he thinks Sid is breaking up with him. However, that wouldn't make sense considering he just told his best friend they were dating. He turns back to the road and continues to drive while he waits for Sid to explain.

“I can't pretend you're just my friend Geno,” he says softly. “I can't do it. I think it's all or nothing and I can't let it be nothing.”

Geno swallows around a lump in his throat and very carefully pulls the car to the side of the road. His hands shake as he puts it in park and turns on the emergency lights. “So?” he asks again, turning to Sid.

“So we're doing this,” Sid says, grabbing his hand. His cheeks are pink. “If that's okay with you.”

Geno leans in and kisses him hard. “Yes. Is okay.”

Sid kisses his cheek. “Take me home, Geno,” he murmurs, and Geno nods. Pulling the car out of park is complicated when Sid refuses to let go of his hand, but Geno manages. They drive the whole way home that way: Sid's hand tucked in Geno's and holding on tight like he won't ever let go.

Geno's okay with that.

 

———————

 

Finally, Sid leaves, and while it should probably be hard, it’s not that bad. The hardest part is trying to juggle superhero responsibilities and still fly all the way to Canada. Geno relies on Sunshine a lot. Sunshine doesn’t seem to mind. He’s got an impressive fanbase now and is enjoying the limelight thoroughly.

Still, he _is_ busy all the same so it's not until mid-June that he meets Sid's family. Geno wonders if the universe is making up for how calm Geno was with Flower, because right now he’s a _wreck_.

“They'll love you,” Sid murmurs. He is, ironically enough, calm about this. Apparently, all he needed was to set his mind on introducing Geno to the world. Now he’s been nothing but blasé about the whole thing. It would be annoying, but _Sid is coming out for him_. Geno can’t be anything but deliriously happy.

Most of the time, anyway. Right now, he’s terrified.

“I'm dating their son,” Geno says, as he fixes his hair for the seventh time.

“They'll still love you.” Sid steps in and bats Geno’s hands away. He runs his fingers through Geno’s hair, and Geno can’t find anything wrong with it after that. It means he has to leave it, which gives his hands nothing to fidget with. He tries not to panic.

“I turned their son _gay_.”

Sid laughs so hard he staggers. “If anything, _Metaman_ turned their son gay. Which I guess is still you, but I don't think it counts. Anyway, if the posters I had of you as a teen weren't an indication, my parents are blind, and if that's the case…” He kisses Geno softly. “Well, that's what dinner is for, right?”

To distract himself, Geno concentrates on the only safe subject of Sid's ramble. “You had posters of me?”

He'll never get over watching Sid blush when reminded of his giant crush on Geno's alter ego.

“Yup,” Sid says, voice high. “Just posters. Only posters.”

“Sid.”

“ _Nothing_ but posters.”

“Sid, did you have action figures?” He watches Sid snap his mouth shut. “Comic books? _Russian_ comic books? _Russian video game_?”

Sid gets progressively more red until the last comment. Then he turns away.

“Was in Russian! How you even read?”

“I—” Sid stutters. “Well, I tried to learn Russian, and when that didn't work, I bought translations.”

“How much Russian you learn?” Geno asks, and Sid shrugs. “Ya tebya lyublyu.”

“You’ve said that before right?” Sid asks, “The first time we—” He cuts off with a cough.

“Ya tebya lyublyu. I love you,” Geno explains.

Sid goes bright red, and Geno grins. He reaches out and pulls Sid in. He presses kiss after kiss to his mouth, and only pulls away when the doorbell rings and he's hit with nausea.

Sid hauls him in and kisses him again. “Alright, we're gonna get through this, and then I'm going to take you to bed, okay?”

Geno whines. “Don't talk about bed when I have to meet your _parents_.”

Sid just grins at him and goes to answer the door. “And Taylor too. Don't forget her.”

“Of course,” Geno mutters to himself in Russian, nervously fixing his hair again (he can’t help himself). “Can't forget the sister or the parents of the famous hockey player I'm dating. Or the dinner! With all three. Where I get to try to not accidentally say I'm fucking their brother and son, in a language I'm shit at. This is going to go just great.”

He hears laughter from the front porch and tries not to feel like a dead man as he walks to the most important dinner of his life.

 

———————

 

It goes well, is the thing. It goes really well. For some reason, Sid's parents seem to like him. There's no mention of how Geno is corrupting their son or ruining his career. There's a tightness to the corner of Mr. Crosby's mouth, but Geno is pretty sure he's the only one that notices. It's a small tic, and of the reactions there could have been, it’s one Geno is willing to ignore. Mrs. Crosby smiles enough for the both of them.

For some inexplicable reason, Taylor seems to _love_ him, and he's not sure what to do with that. He doesn't know what he did to make Taylor like him, or how to keep her liking him. He's worried that overthinking it might ruin the whole thing, so he tries to stay casual.

Sid's parents leave after dessert, but Taylor is apparently staying for a bit. Geno doesn't mind, necessarily, but he feels like one giant ball of stress and he thought he'd be able to get Sid to bed by now. Instead, he's left on the couch while Sid puts the leftovers away and Taylor just stares at him.

“So if you hurt him, I'll kill you,” Taylor says. Geno swallows, and nods quickly. “Awesome, so we're good. Do you play hockey?”

Geno shrugs. “Used to for fun. Now I just run my pet shop.”

“Wicked. We should play some field hockey while you're here.”

“You'd kick his ass. Sorry, babe, but she would,” Sid says, coming into the living room. Somewhere he’s lost his socks, and his hair has gone wild. He hadn’t bothered with gel, stating he wasn't trying to impress his parents, but he looks much more relaxed than when Mr. and Mrs. Crosby were still here.

He looks… Geno swallows, and he hears Taylor groan.

She hauls herself off the couch, and heads to the door. “Right, cue to leave. Heard loud and clear. So long, farewell, I'm still gonna catch you for hockey sometime, G!”

Geno opens his mouth to say something. Possibly along the lines of Taylor not having to leave. He catches the dark look in Sid's eyes first and bites his tongue.

Sid is stalking over before the door closes. By the time it clicks shut, Sid is in Geno's lap and leaving searing kisses on his mouth.

“Take me to bed,” Sid murmurs.

Geno has him in his arms and halfway up the stairs before he even finishes processing the sentence.

 

———————

 

“Can we try something?” Sid asks, gasping as Geno kisses down his neck.

“Anything,” Geno says, pushing at Sid’s shirt. It’s tucked under Sid’s armpits, and Geno is having a fantastic time running his hands up and down Sid’s chest, pushing his shirt up and his pants down bit by bit. He pinches Sid’s nipples just to watch him arch up and nips behind his ear to hear him groan.

He strips, helps Sid do the same, and the slide of skin on skin is amazing. He’s slowly gotten to figure out every inch of Sid’s body, and he still feels like it’s not enough. He won’t be satisfied until he’s memorized every noise and movement. He doesn’t know if that’s even possible but he’s dedicated to the task.

“Can you fuck me?”

Geno pauses. He pulls away from Sid’s ear, despite the whine it gets him, and looks down at Sid carefully. “We tried.”

“If we don’t use condoms, though… I don’t mind the mess,” Sid says, and Geno almost swallows his tongue.

Geno fucking Sid. It’s not that it doesn’t work. It’s just that Geno tends to come pretty fast, and changing condoms constantly was frustrating at best. Add on that Geno tends to become pretty useless when he comes, and, well… The last time they tried was a fumbling mess. It’s just easier to let Sid fuck him. Geno tries to make up for it with really good blowjobs, and Sid has never complained, so Geno figured it was okay.

Not using condoms, though. That’s a relatively new development, and one Geno hasn’t considered as thoroughly as Sid has apparently.

“Might not—”

“I know, but I want to try,” Sid says, looking up at him with glittering, earnest eyes, and how does Geno say no to that? All he can do is nod and reach over for the lube.

Slicking himself is torturous. He has to bite his lip so he doesn’t come. Thinking about it doesn’t help either. He’s so used to not having to care when he orgasms around Sid that trying to hold back is almost impossible.

It doesn’t help that when he looks down, Sid has stolen the lube and is opening himself up.

“Careful,” Geno murmurs, even as Sid pushes two fingers inside himself.

Sid’s wheeze is followed by a chuckle. “I’m fine,” he says, and Geno watches his fingers scissor quickly.

Too quickly. Geno reaches out and tugs Sid’s hand away. “Stop. Slow is okay.”

Sid shakes his head. “I don’t want you to have to wait. I know it’s hard.”

Apparently, they need to have a talk about what _Geno_ wants. If Sid somehow thinks he needs everything to be quick or not at all… Well, he hasn’t had much experience to the contrary has he? Regardless of how quickly Geno comes, their sex has usually been quick fucks between games, work, and now Geno’s trips back and forth.

Geno makes a mental note to carve out a few extra days in the near future. He needs to show Sid that slow is okay. Just because Geno comes quickly, doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate slow. He breathes in slowly and reminds himself of this.

“I don’t want you to hurry. Hurt self,” Geno says. He grabs the lube and slicks his fingers. He bats Sid’s hand away as Sid tries to stretch himself again, and slides one of his own fingers in _slowly_. Sid is a slick, clutching pressure around his finger, and Geno licks his lips. The thought of that around his cock is dizzying.

He keeps to one finger for a while, making sure to smear the lube as thick as possible, as Sid curses up a blue streak under him. He’s clawing at Geno’s shoulders and hissing at him for more, but Geno just grins. He can admit he’s doing this to be a jerk, but it _is_ easier to forget about coming if he can fuck with Sid. He waits until Sid makes a frustrated, strangled noise, like a furious cat, before he slips another finger in.

By the time he’s up to three, Sid’s cock is almost purple and weeping. His face is bright red and his eyes are wet as he begs Geno for more. Finally, Geno pulls his fingers free and tries to think of anything else as he pushes his cock into Sid. His knees are weak, his brain is scrambled, and how is he supposed to think of anything else but how Sid arches up to him and cries out?

He can’t, and the room spins. His vision blurs painfully. He freezes, bottomed out, and he comes inside Sid hard enough to hurt. He waits there, trying to calm down, even as Sid squirms under him.

“You have to. You have to, Geno, please,” Sid begs.

Geno’s not sure he understands English anymore, let alone what Sid is saying, but he’s not stupid. He starts to move, even though he feels like he’s being shredded up inside. It hurts, but it’s good, and Sid is still making noises beneath him. At least Geno’s managing to make this good, even if he can barely see straight anymore.

He moves and moves and keeps moving until he comes again, and he can’t do it anymore. He slumps over Sid, groaning. “Can’t. Sorry, Sid. Sorry.”

Sid shushes him, even as he wiggles underneath, and Geno almost swallows his own tongue as pleasure wracks through him.

“It’s okay,” Sid says, voice raspy. He pushes at Geno’s shoulder, and Geno moves, confused.

It isn’t until he’s on his back, and Sid on top, that Geno chokes. “Oh,” he says, as his dick twitches.

Oh fuck, Sid will be the end of him. He tries not to grab too hard as Sid slides back down his cock, but he can already see bruises purpling under his fingers. Sid has never minded them, though, so he keeps holding on as he loses his mind.

There’s a slick trail coming from where he’s fucking into Sid, that slips down Geno’s hips, and he can feel it pooling on the sheets below him. He’s helpless but to buck up and come again when he realizes what it is.

More of his come leaks out as Sid pushes down again, and the sensation has Geno whimpering. It’s not just that he feels raw and oversensitive from orgasm. Sid is filled with him, sloppy with it, and he’s _still going_. Geno sobs, and he’s not sure if he’s moving at all anymore. Sid doesn’t seem to mind. He’s a vision above Geno: hand flying over his dick, face red, and tears dripping down his face.

“Okay?” Geno tries to say, words garbled.

Sid nods again and again. “So good,” Sid says, voice thick and wet. He leans over Geno, and sweat or a tear falls on Geno’s face. He’s not sure, but he reaches up with shaking hands to wipe at Sid’s cheeks. He mostly just smears it worse.

Sid’s face twists up and comes over Geno’s stomach. Geno groans almost as loud as Sid does and let’s the pleasure curl up inside him. Coming again, he barely registers Sid falling on top of him.

Geno’s not sure what’s real and what isn’t anymore. The world is a hazy, blurred mass of sensation, and he thinks he whimpers when Sid shifts enough to get free. Geno doesn’t think he could come again, but at this point, he doesn’t want to assume. He feels unhinged, almost nauseous, from the amount of orgasms he’s experienced.

He’s almost used to the feeling now. Ever since he and Sid got together, he’s had to create a new idea of what normal is when it comes to sex. Sid is competitive, basically. It’s not a bad thing, but it leaves Geno pretty useless.

Sid normally recovers quickly, though, when it’s not playoffs anyway, and he cleans them up most of the time. Only, right now, Sid isn’t moving. He keeps not moving for long enough that Geno starts to get concerned and forces his brain back online.

“Sid?” he asks, and Sid mumbles against his shoulder. “Sid.”

“M’fine,” Sid says, words slurred. “Jus’ dead.”

Geno snorts helplessly. He pushes at Sid until Sid rolls off him. He doesn’t move beyond that, and Geno feels something hot flair up in him. Pride. Joy. He did this to Sid. Sid who is usually so unflappable. Sid who holds his control in an iron fist. That Sid is laid out on the bed, covered in bruises, and filled with Geno’s come.

Geno tries not to preen too obviously. Instead, he hauls himself out of bed to grab a cloth from the bathroom. There’s a towel in the bedroom already, but Geno doesn’t want to use it again. They’d used it for cleanup earlier and they had been... _messy_ that morning, Geno too stressed to even dress himself until Sid had calmed him down.

Geno isn’t going to argue about Sid’s method of fucking Geno until he’s too relaxed to care. It just means they go through a lot of towels.

He lays a fresh towel on the massive wet spot and cleans Sid up as best as he can. His hands are still shaking, and Sid is a _wreck_. He winds up having to go back to the bathroom to rinse out the cloth so he can finish wiping Sid down.

“Shower next time,” Sid mumbles as Geno finally rejoins him in bed.

“You think next time you stand, we can,” Geno says, grinning when Sid flails an arm out to smack him. He misses, but he seems too tired to move anymore than that.

“Not fair. You pass out all the time. Not fair to chirp me,” Sid says. His words are slow and slurred, and he blinks up at Geno with a betrayed expression.

Geno can only smile around the fluttering warmth that punches him in the gut. “Is true. Sorry,” he says, and leans in to kiss Sid.

Sid barely responds, mouth slack. When Geno pulls back Sid’s eyes are closed. “Love you,” he mumbles.

Geno sucks in a breath. He doesn’t have words in any language to tell Sid how much he loves him. He could learn every language on Earth and still he could never explain it. He could spend a thousand lifetimes trying to describe what Sid means to him and it wouldn’t be enough.

He tugs Sid into his arms, smiling softly as Sid complains about moving. He settles down easily enough, though, and Geno makes sure the towel is covering the wet spot fully before pulling the blankets over them.

“Tebya lyublyu ya, Sid,” he murmurs. It feels insignificant when compared to Geno’s feelings, but it’s all he has.

With a butchered pronunciation, Sid mumbles it back, and Geno presses his lips to the top of Sid’s head in uncontrollable affection. He can barely stand how much he loves Sid. He doesn’t understand how anyone could possibly feel this much and survive, but for Sid he’s willing to attempt the extraordinary.

He closes his eyes and lets Sid’s even breathing lull him to sleep.

 

———————

 

The next morning is gorgeous. It's bright and sunny, there are no terrifying meetings with family members planned, and it's quite honestly a day that Geno has no problems labeling as perfect.

“Is beautiful out,” Geno says to Sid. Maybe they can go for a walk later or take out the boat. They need groceries, too, at some point, but that's something to consider later.

“Am I going to meet your family?” Sid asks without preamble, and Geno chokes on his cereal. By the time he recovers, his eyes are wet from the pain and Sid has a pinched look on his face. “I didn't think it was that terrible a question.”

 _Fuck._ “Is not. Promise,” Geno says, trying to control any potential damage. “Just surprise.”

Sid's expression smooths, but he still looks at Geno expectantly. “Well, am I?”

“Uh...” Geno winces when Sid just raises an eyebrow. “Maybe?”

Sid's mouth goes tight again. Standing up, he grabs the dishes from the table and walks to the kitchen. Geno follows after him quickly, trying to figure out what's going on. It's as if, from last night to this morning, Sid has been replaced with an entirely different person. He's reminded that he's basically dating a cat: sweet and cuddly until all of a sudden there's claws and hissing for no reason.

Except Sid always has a reason for his anger. So Geno just needs to figure out what it is this time. He winces as Sid all but throws the dishes in the sink. The loud clatter echoes through the kitchen.

“Sid—”

“It's just—” Sid sighs, his shoulders slumping. “I'm sorry. It's just that you met my parents and my sister. I told Flower about you. I'm going to tell other people. You got on my case about meeting my friends, but do your parents even know I exist?”

Sid looks at him and Geno turns away. He hears Sid's sharp intake of breath and cuts him off before Sid can reprimand him. “Haven't—haven't talked to parents for weeks.”

There's a long pause.

“But you love your family,” Sid finally murmurs.

Geno nods slowly. He tries to figure out the best way to explain and decides to wing it instead. This conversation won't be any easier if he overthinks it.  “But are in Russia. I leave Russia because of pressure. Too much pressure. Need to… to represent Russia. Make Russia proud. Make family proud. Not disappoint Russia or… or consequences.” He hasn't spoken about this in years, and it still feels like he's carving his own heart out when he thinks about it, let alone talks about it.

“Consequences?” Sid asks softly.

“They know my family. They keep my identity secret. They just say ‘must be good Russian. Must love country. Must prove love for country’ and I try. But it's not enough. It's never enough. So I leave.”

“You came to Pittsburgh.”

Geno nods. “Family knew Sergei—Gonch—and I ask if I can come visit. He ask why. I tell him ‘I'm Metaman’. He tells me I'm stupid, but of course can come visit. Then I just… never leave. Open shop. Not just for cover, but because is something _I_ want. Now I go back when they ask so they still protect family, but I'm still more free.”

Sid leans against the kitchen counter, his mouth pursed. It makes Geno want to kiss him, but he holds back.

“Okay, so that I get. And I don't want to sound like an asshole, but what does this have to do with us?”

 _Us_ . Geno still loves hearing that. It makes him feel better even as he tries to explain how awful this is. “Russia already mad at me. Mad at family. I leave and not come back. What happens when I say I love man? Date man? I'm never allowed back? Family not allowed to stay? Allowed to stay but can never talk to me again? Arrested? _Killed_? Sid, I can't—”

Sid kisses him. His fingers thread in Geno's hair and tug hard as he presses kiss after kiss to Geno's mouth. “I get it,” he says between breaths, voice a harsh rasp. “I get it, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

Geno crowds him up against the counter. “Not your fault. _I'm_ sorry. Never said. Never explain.”

He pulls reassurance from Sid's lips and comfort from his arms. He's shaking by the time he pulls away. He can't bear to see Sid's expression, so he buries his face in Sid's neck instead.

Sid kisses his shoulder. “It's okay,” he murmurs. “It's going to be okay.”

It’s probably ridiculous, but Geno believes him.

 

———————

 

With all the nerve he can muster, Geno forces himself to open his laptop that evening. His hands shake as he opens Skype.

There isn't a response right away. Geno expected that, but it still ratchets his nerves up. Sid is out grocery shopping, and while that takes some time (the picky particular brat), if Sid comes back too soon, Geno's not sure he'll be able to do this right now.

If he doesn't do this now, he doesn't know if he'll have the courage to try again.

He goes to make tea while he waits and thankfully it's not a long one because he mostly just burns his hands and makes an oversteeped mess. He didn't realise that such a cheerful ringtone could sound so ominous.

He leaves the tea and goes to his laptop. It takes him three tries to accept the call.

“Privet, Mama,” he says softly.

Natalia Malkin raises one thin eyebrow. “Four weeks and I get ‘privet, Mama’? I've been watching the news, I know you're not _that_ busy.”

Geno winces. “I know. I'm sorry. Where’s Papa?”

“Still asleep. Now stop avoiding the conversation and explain why you think four weeks is an acceptable amount of time to ignore your mother.”

Geno takes a deep breath but can't continue. He doesn't even know where to begin or how to explain.

 _I'm dating a man._ No. _I'm in love with a man._ God, no. _You're in danger once again because of me and I'm sorry._ True, but unhelpful.

Silence reigns for almost five minutes before his mama sighs. “Zhenya. My precious son. Four weeks is too long for fear. After everything, did you really think there was anything we would hate you for?”

Geno blinks. His brain fizzles as it tries and fails to parse that statement. It sounds like—but she couldn't—

“I love you no matter what,” Natalia says, and Geno's throat goes tight as his eyes well up with tears.

“You know,” he chokes out.

“Sergei called,” she says.

Tears slip down his cheeks, hot and painful. He feels like both his heart and throat are being clawed out. “I-interfering old man,” he says, voice breaking on a sob.

“My darling baby boy.” Natalia's voice sounds tight with tears, but Geno can't tell if she's crying. His vision is too blurry.

He holds his head in his hands and sobs his heart out as his mama tells him she loves him and it will be okay from a million miles away.

“What do we do?” Geno finally asks, wiping at his face.

Natalia smile is warbly. “Well, I hear Pittsburgh is a lovely city. You'll have to help your papa and I with our English, but I'm sure we'll manage.”

Geno just stares at her. “Mama.” She can't possibly mean—

“Denis is looking at apartments, and Sergei already offered us his spare room.”

“ _Interfering old man_.” Geno says again, vehemently.

His head spins and he feels nauseous. He also feels _relieved_. For the first time since his powers manifested, he thinks his family could be safe. He wouldn't have to worry about missing a call or losing a fight or saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing and Russia deciding he's not worth it anymore. That his family isn't worth protecting anymore.

They could be safe. Actually safe. He could be free, and his family could be safe. He could be with Sid and not lose everything important in his life. The thought of losing Russia cuts him deeply, but his family… _Sid_.

“It would be expensive,” he says.

Natalia scoffs. “We have more than enough money saved from your merchandise, and I know Pittsburgh pays you. It will be fine, Zhenya.”

“You have to move because of me.”

Natalia glares at him. “We have to move because of circumstances beyond our control. You didn't ask for superpowers. We didn't ask for your sacrifice. We live with what we're given. If that means we must sacrifice for you now, then so be it.”

“I never sacrificed—”

“You moved halfway across the world to escape responsibilities you never asked for. You come back to keep us safe. My Zhenya.” Natalia smiles at him. “This is our choice.”

“I'm sorry,” he murmurs.

“I'm not,” she says. “Besides, I hear the air in Pittsburgh is much cleaner than Magnitogorsk, and your papa and I are getting older. It will be good for us.”

Geno can’t help but laugh even as he starts to cry again. “I love you, Mama.”

“It will be okay, my darling,” she tells him, tearing up herself.

By the time Sid comes home, the tears have mostly stopped and Geno is able to grin shakily at Sid when he asks what's wrong.

“Sid,” Geno murmurs and holds out his hand. “Come meet Mama.”

Sid's eyes go wide, but he steps forward and let's Geno tug him onto the couch and into view of the laptop. Natalia smiles at him and Sid hesitantly smiles back.

 

———————

 

It isn’t until the beginning of August that Geno realizes he maybe doesn’t miss crime-fighting as much as he thought he would. He’s enjoying spending time with Sid, fishing on his lake, taking full advantage of the privacy to see how loud Sid can get (it’s very loud and Geno _loves_ it).They even talk about bringing Lucy next year, though by plane, not by Metaman. Geno can hide himself, but carrying a full grown dog is inadvisable at best.

In his free time, he helps his parents and Denis plan their move. Despite Sergei’s protests, Geno continues to throw money at him to help renovate his spare guest room. Geno owes him more than he can ever repay, and he really does have a lot of money from Metaman merchandise. (He calls it a bonus. Gonch calls it ridiculous. In her never-ending practicality, Ksenia accepts each cheque as she draws up floor plans.) By the time summer comes to a close, the renovations are finished, his parents have moved in, Geno has bought Denis a condo, and his family is out of danger.

Geno knows it can’t stay this easy for long, but for now, everyone he loves is safe.

Only, now he thinks about Lucy, and Sid, and Lucy with Sid, and himself with both of them, and he wants more. He wants everything so badly, and he almost has it. It’s just when he’s back in Pittsburgh and Gonch and his mama talk about how Lucy missed him and Sid talks about how he misses both of them and Geno misses watching Lucy with Sid that he aches with longing.

He wants them all together. All the time. More and more, Sid and Lucy are becoming his family, and now that his parents and Denis are closer, Geno realizes just how much he misses having both Sid and Lucy around. Wherever he is, he misses someone, and it’s so _frustrating_.

There's no easy solution. If they brought Lucy to Sid’s next summer, the media would probably catch on. Then they’d have to explain Lucy and maybe explain Geno. Then explain how Geno visits so often without proof of plane tickets, or hide Geno for most of his visits. They're already having to bend the truth. Anything more would involve blatantly lying to the media and to Sid's family which... is not ideal. Plus, Geno would have to come back to Pittsburgh on a regular basis because of his superhero duties and if the media was watching him, that would be ridiculously difficult to manage.

It would just be really complicated. Honestly, the easiest way would be if Lucy and Geno just came to stay for the summer, but with Geno having to work…

Unless Geno retired.

That’s the thing, isn’t it?

 

———————

 

“Dude, I understand your boyfriend is out of town, but this is sad even for you.”

Geno doesn’t look up at Sunshine. He just keeps sitting on that night’s rooftop choice, staring at the city and sighing. Sunshine doesn’t know the specifics of who Geno’s dating, but Geno finally had to admit a little of what was going on, because according to Sunshine, he kept “moping.”

He’s not moping. He’s in the middle of a life-decision crisis. He sighs and then yelps when Sunshine pinches him. “Seriously, dramatic, maudlin sighing on rooftops doesn’t suit you. What’s up?”

“You ever think about retire?” Geno finally asks. He looks over for the reaction, but Sunshine just nods.

“There we go. Thought it was something important. I don’t, but my mentor back in LA, he did. Retire that is. I think once you hit a certain age—or maybe certain mindset—it’s just a thing you consider. I plan to stick around for a long while yet, but you’re not getting any younger.” Sunshine grins at him.

“Fuck off,” Geno says, grinning back. He looks at the city and sighs.

“Not to toot my own horn,” Sunshine says weirdly sheepish. “But I _have_ been handling things around here.”

“I know. Is why I consider.” Geno sighs again. “I’ll miss the view.”

“Dude, you can get this view by just sneaking onto any rooftop in Pittsburgh. Like, I’m pretty sure there are stairs over there.” Sunshine punches his shoulder, and Geno laughs.

“Miss you too, Sunshine.”

Sunshine shrugs. “We’ll exchange phone numbers or something. Oooh, we could spar together! And I’m gonna need advice for nicknames for Fighter.”

Geno snorts. “I have one you’re never allowed to use.”

Sunshine raises a curious eyebrow. Geno’s heart feels strangely light and at ease as he elaborates and the sun sets on his city.

Maybe he’ll take the stairs down.

 

———————

 

He tries to schedule the press release for after Sid comes back. The press waits for no man, unfortunately, and the story leaks in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette two weeks before Sid's training camp opens.

Geno looks over the thousand texts on a phone he’ll never need to use again and a few on his personal cell. One is from Gonch, saying _So does this mean I get a proper work schedule?_ One from his mama, saying _This is what we do for love._ The others are from Sid.

_Geno?_

_Geno what the fuck, answer your phone._

_We apparently need to talk about IMPORTANT LIFE CHANGING THINGS TO TELL YOUR BOYFRIEND FIRST._

_I’m coming home._

Geno stares at the texts, then down at the ring box in his hands, and smiles. If Sid thinks they need to have a conversation about life changing events _now_.

He laughs, Lucy barks, and everything feels pretty amazing.

He can’t wait to see Sid’s _face_.

THE END

 

———————

 

EPILOGUE

It’s a bit cool for July, but warm enough with company, Geno thinks as he gazes at the stars. Looking over, he can see stars reflected in Sid’s eyes and at a small sparkling fleck on Sid’s finger. Geno rubs his thumb over it and feels like his heart could burst when Sid smiles up at him.

“This is nice,” Sid murmurs, and Geno nods.

“Favourite.” He leans in and rubs his nose against Sid’s. He feels infused with a syrupy sweetness that warms him right to his toes as Sid laughs and kisses him.

“Me or the view?” he asks.

“Both,” Geno says and rubs his thumb over Sid’s finger again.

“You’ve been doing that all night,” Sid says. His voice is warm and soft, and Geno loves him more than he has words for.

He leans back to look at Sid, and grins. “Can blame me?”

Sid shifts enough to thread their hands together. He reaches out with the other and twists Geno’s own ring. “Not really, no.” His hair shimmers with moonlight and his eyes are stars. His wedding ring shines, and Geno loves him. He loves him so much.

He leans in to kiss him but jumps at the sound of a bark. “Lucy?” he calls down. Lucy barks again.

“And Gonch! Come on, lovebirds, off the roof. It’s getting cold.”

Sid giggles, and Geno kisses his cheek. He lets go of Sid long enough for them to get up and balance awkwardly on the roof. Geno pulls Sid in and laughs when he yelps. “Anyone around, old man?”

“Geno, no,” Gonch says, but Geno ignores him.

“Anyone?”

“Oh for—myself, the girls, yours and Sid’s family.” Even without looking at him, Geno can hear the exasperation in his tone.

“Then we’re good,” Geno says and pulls Sid in closer. Sid looks up at him, grinning. “Take the fast way down?”

Sid nods and holds on as Geno lifts them up and floats them to the ground. Sid immediately goes to Lucy, while Geno looks to Gonch.

“Show off,” Gonch mutters. “Come on. We’re gonna head home but figured you’d want to say goodbye.”

“We’ll see you all tomorrow,” Geno says, and Gonch just gives him a look. “Yes, yes, we’re coming.”

They head inside with Lucy to say their goodbyes, and after Geno’s and Sid’s families are gone (with a fourth promise of yes, they’ll meet up for lunch tomorrow), Sid closes the door with a sigh. “We should’ve done this during the hockey season. Then we would have an excuse not to have a reception. Is this why people don’t get married at home?” He looks around at the house and sighs. “My house is such a mess.”

From his seat on the couch, Geno fakes offence. “ _Your_ house? Thought marriage meant your stuff is mine.”

Sid snorts and walks over to Geno. He kicks at his ankles until Geno pulls him into his lap. “That’s not at all how this works,” he says, staring down at Geno with a grin.

“Definitely how it works. My stuff mine, your stuff mine. All mine.” Sid raises an eyebrow, and Geno leans in to kiss him quickly. “And I’m yours. So all yours.”

He watches as even the tips of Sid’s ears go red. “You—” Sid leans in and hides his face in Geno’s neck. “You fucking sap.”

“Love you too,” Geno says and kisses behind Sid’s ear. The gasp he gets is promising. Lucy’s been out already and is right now lying down in her bed with her eyes closed, so Geno has no reservations in tucking his arms under Sid’s ass and holding on as he hauls them both up.

“Geno!” Sid’s squeak is fantastic.

“Come, Mr. Malkin,” Geno says. “Bedtime.”

“I suppose I have no choice in this, _Mr. Crosby_.”

“None at all.” He grunts when Sid bites him and slaps Sid’s ass in return. “Be nice, or I’m not fuck you.”

“It’s nice that you think you’ll be doing the fucking,” Sid says and bites again. Geno groans even as he laughs and makes his way up the stairs. He gives up halfway through and, keeping a firm grip on Sid, flies the rest of the way.

“Suppose we see,” he says, nuzzling at Sid’s neck, as he tries to keep Sid balanced and open the bedroom door. He fails at both. Sid finally opens the door and leaps back into his arms after.

“You’re supposed to carry me over the threshold, right?” he asks, grinning cheekily.

“Suppose we see,” Geno repeats and pretends to lose his grip. Used to his antics, Sid just holds on tight and giggles. He kisses Geno with quick, soft pecks until Geno is giggling with him.

Geno steps over the threshold with nothing but joy bubbling in his heart.

 

———————

 

Downstairs, Lucy perks up her head at the sound of laughter. She listens for a moment before she woofs softly and settles back down to sleep, content.


End file.
